Benni McCarhty was finally unveiled as Harambee Stars coach after months of speculation. His football career has taken him to the Netherlands, Portugal, England and helped him meet some legendary figures in the game. Benni McCarthy will bring valuable experience to Harambee Stars.Benni McCarthy’s playing career The lifelong Manchester United fan played for Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United in the Premier League and Seven Stars, Ajax, Celta Vigo, Porto and Orlando Pirates.
The Bafana Bafana record goal scorer won league titles at Ajax and Porto and lifted the 2004 Champions League under Jose Mourinho. He bagged a brace in Porto’s win over Man United in the round of 16 that season He also scored 31 goals in 79 appearances for South Africa between 1997 and 2012, per ESPN, He retired from football in 2013. He won four titles with Orlando Pirates in 2012, including the league title. “I have been so blessed to have enjoyed a remarkable career that took me from the township fields of Nyanga Stadium, to winner’s medals in the Uefa Champions League and World Club Cup – the highest levels that a player can achieve in club football,” he said in 2013, via BBC Sport. What Mourinho and other figures said of McCarthy McCarthy faces some top names as a coach in South Africa, including Pitso Mosimane, who led Mamelodi Sundowns to multiple league titles.
After he joined Man United in 2022, Mosimane lauded McCarthy for opening doors for coaches like him. “I look up to him as the guy who can open doors for us,” he said via iDiski Times. READ ALSO How Harambee Stars could play under Benni McCarthy as he take charge Erik ten Hag brought McCarthy to Man United. he lauded the South African’s work at the club. “He has a really good relationship with all the players in our squad. He also has to work on togetherness and he is doing a good job in that,” said Ten Hag via IOL. Benni McCarthy celebrates winning the Champions League in 2004.
When Man United faced Porto’s McCarthy said that it hurt when Mourinho jokingly slapped him after celebrating a goal. “Then he gets up and grabs me and he says ‘great free-kick, I knew you would score. Now, defend, you tell everybody we get it, we pump it up the stadium and we just protect’. He kept slapping me and I was thinking ‘it hurts’,” he said via MEN. McCarthy coached Marcus Rashford for two seasons at Old Trafford and the England star was happy with the South African. “I feel like since Benni has come in, we’ve worked more as a team going forward which has lead to us creating more chances of scoring more goals. It’s still early days. He keeps pushing us and keeps trying to get us to improve,” Rashford said via Times Live. McCarthy on why Ronaldo flopped under Ten Hag TUKO.co.ke earlier reported that McCarthy explained why Ronaldo’s move to Man United did not succeed. He said Ronaldo couldn’t perform consistently in Erik ten Hag’s high intensity style.
by Edwin Kiplagat
