Cape Town-born Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy has joined English Premier League giants Manchester United Football Club as a first-team strikers coach.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: South Africa may be experiencing a shortage of electricity, job opportunities uncorrupted officials and but one thing we can be proud to say we have a surplus of is pure unadulterated talent.
According to The Mirror, the club eyed McCarthy for some time and has been in negotiation with him for about a week, backed by Erik ten Hag, current manager of Manchester United.
The Red Devils confirmed late on Saturday evening that they will be welcoming the former Bafana forward to their coaching team.
Welcoming a new face to our coaching team…
Great to have you on board, @BenniMcCarthy17 ?#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 30, 2022
Born and raised in Hanover Park, Cape Town, he began his soccer career playing for Youth Pirates, a local side managed by his uncles and has been scoring big ever since (please excuse the pun).
He found international success since his 1997 debut for South Africa against Netherlands after joining the Dutch professional football club AFC Ajax, who he signed for from Cape Town club Seven Stars.
As reported by Sport 24, 44-year-old McCarthy is our country’s all-time leading goal scorer with 31 goals and remains the only South African to have won the 2003-04 UEFA Champions League during his time with F.C. Porto, scoring two goals against the club he will now coach to defeat them in the second round.
He is also quite a seasoned English Football player having played for both Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United in the later stages of his striker career.
Since moving into the coaching world in 2017, he has had trophy-winning success locally as Cape Town City’s coach and later in 2020 as AmaZulu’s head coach up until earlier this year.
We look forward to seeing our fellow Capetonian continue achieving the seemingly unachievable in his new endeavour.
So in simple terms Benni McCarthy will be telling Ronaldo, Martial and Rashford what to do in the 18 Area pic.twitter.com/vMIjA5uNDU
— MANDLA-M ?? (@MandlaMhlanga_) July 30, 2022
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Picture: @FabrizioRomano / Twitter