Benni McCarthy’s story, one that stretches from the streets of Hanover Park to football’s biggest stages, is now captured in print, Cape {town}Etc reports.
The former Bafana Bafana striker and current Kenya national team coach has officially released his autobiography, Benni, offering readers an unfiltered look at the moments that shaped his life on and off the pitch.
The book’s arrival follows weeks of quiet build-up after McCarthy first hinted at the project late last year.
Co-authored with respected football writer Mark Gleeson and published by Pan Macmillan SA, the autobiography promises more than a highlight reel of goals and trophies.
Instead, it traces a full arc, the personal struggles, the career highs, and the hard-earned lessons behind one of South Africa’s most recognisable football figures.
McCarthy, now 48, has long stood out as a trailblazer. Raised in Hanover Park on the Cape Flats, his rise to elite European football remains a rare and remarkable journey.
Along the way, he became the only South African to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy during his time with Portuguese outfit Porto and went on to cement his place as Bafana Bafana’s all-time leading goalscorer.
Sharing news of the release on social media, McCarthy did not shy away from the weight of the story he tells.
‘My new book is finally out. From Gangland to Greatness. The full story, the truth, I’m so proud of it,’ he wrote on Instagram.
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The autobiography also arrives at a moment when his career has come full circle, transitioning from prolific striker to respected coach on the international stage.
While Benni revisits the goals, medals and iconic moments fans remember, it also steps beyond the stadium lights.
The book explores identity, pressure, loss and survival, themes that resonate far beyond football circles.
With the autobiography now on shelves, McCarthy adds author to a legacy already defined by firsts, records and reinvention, this time, in his own word.
The release is set to reach local readers soon, with Benni expected to arrive at Exclusive Books Cavendish, giving fans and readers in Cape Town a chance to pick up the autobiography in-store.
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