Benitez said: "For me, Carra last season was the best defender in England and this season he has started at the same level. Mourinho can talk about John Terry but for me Carra was fantastic last season.
"Terry is very good but Carra is better. He gives you aggression, security, discipline, and he works so hard for the team. When you see a player working as hard as he does, he sets an example to the rest of the team.
"With Carra you know that he will always do a good job with not many mistakes. If you want to win trophies, you can have excellent players who get 10 now and again but you need ones that are going to give you 8, 9, 8, 9 out of 10 all around the season.
"If you are a good player who can play in many positions, sometimes that is a problem for you. It depends on your necessity. If you need a right-back, Carra can play well there. If you need a left-back, Carra can play well there too. We needed a centre-back, so Carra played there.
"He has progressed so much over the past few seasons because he is very clever. He listens and works in training sessions, he takes things in and is always trying to improve. When you are prepared to listen, to put aside your ego and work, then you grow as a player and as a person.
"He has done that, he wants to absorb everything the coaches teach him and use it to improve. He is a local boy, and he has the pride and passion for Liverpool. He is our heartbeat.
"Yes, Steven Gerrard is an incredible player who scores goals and does the glamorous work that gets recognised but Carra is equally important."