South African legend Benni McCarthy has been heavily linked with the Harambee Stars job and here is everything you need to know about the former Bafana Bafana striker.
Benni McCarthy is one of Africa’s greatest players having enjoyed a successful playing career for and in his country South Africa as well as in Europe.
McCarthy put South Africa on the map when he turned out for Bafana Bafana, for who he is the all-time top scorer, with 31 goals from 76 matches.
Benni, as they like to call him back home, also won titles for South African giants Orlando Pirates as well as in Europe where he played for Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam, Spanish club Celta Vigo, Portuguese side FC Porto as well as Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United in the English Premier League.
Benni McCarthy successfully transitioned into coaching after his storied playing career with his first job as head coach being back home where he handled Cape Town City before taking on AmaZulu and had a big career jump when he worked as first-team coach at Manchester United.
Former Manchester United first-team coach Benni McCarthy has been reported to be the leading contender for the Harambee Stars job but a veteran tactician is against it.
The former striker has recently been linked to the Harambee Stars job and ahead of his potential appointment, Pulse Sports tells you everything you need to know about the South African football legend.
How old is Benni McCarthy?
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Benni McCarthy comes from a family of footballers. Photo/Imago
Benni McCarthy was born in the Mother City of Cape Town on November 12, 1977 to father Dudley and mother Dora McCarthy.
His older brother Jerome McCarthy is a former footballer, who played for South African giants Kaizer Chiefs and Manning Rangers, among other clubs, while his younger brother Mark played football at Franklin Pierce University in the United States.
Benni McCarthy’s Playing Career
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Benni McCarthy played in the English Premier League with both Blackburn Rovers and West ham United. Photo/Imago
Benni McCarthy started his football career in 1995 aged just 18 with South African club Seven Stars where he scored one goal in 29 games in his first season before bagging 12 in 20 matches the following season, which earned him a transfer to Cape Town Spurs.
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Discover five fast facts about former South African star Benni McCarthy who is reportedly linked to the Harambee Stars coaching job.
Two years later, Seven Stars and Cape Town Spurs merged to form Ajax Cape Town, which was the feeder team for Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam, and after shining at the 1997 African Youth Championship and FIFA World Youth Championship, Benni McCarthy transferred to the Eredivisie side.
Benni McCarty stayed at Ajax Amsterdam for two years, scoring 10 goals in the 1997-98 season, when he won the league title, and after his second season, when he bagged 11 goals, he was sold to Spanish La Liga Club Celta Vigo for €6 million, the most expensive South African player at the time.
However, at Celta Vigo, Benni McCarthy did not set the stage alight, managing 22 goals in 96 games, and after three seasons, he was loaned out to Portuguese club FC Porto, who were then struggling.
It is at Porto that Benni McCarthy experienced a rebirth, bagging 13 goals in 12 games in the 2001-2002 campaign, and the Portuguese club would make the move permanent.
Benni McCarthy would become an integral player at Porto when Jose Mourinho arrived at the club and in the 2003-04 season, he claimed the Golden Boot after 20 goals from 23 league matches, and went on to score 25 in total as the club won the UEFA Champions League, becoming South Africa’s first and only player to have lifted the trophy.
He, however, managed seven goals in 31 matches the following season after which he was sold to Premier League club Blackburn Rovers for £2.5 million.
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Benni McCarthy is Bafana Bafana’s all-time top scorer with 31 goals. Photo/Imago
At Blackburn, Benni McCarthy played for four years, scoring 52 goals in 140 games, but it was his first season in 2006-07 that he made headlines when he nearly won the Premier League Golden Boot.
The Bafana Bafana legend scored 18 league goals and 25 across all competitions that season as Sam Allardyce’s team pushed for a top eight place on the table.
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Former Manchester United first-team coach Benni McCarthy has been reported as a hot favourite for the Harambee Stars job but he will have to endure a massive pay cut.
He then moved to West Ham in 2009 where he stayed for two seasons but did not score in 14 matches after which he returned home to South Africa, joining Orlando Pirates.
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Benni McCarthy remains the only South African player to win the UEFA Champions League. Photo/Imago
Benni McCarthy was a revelation at Pirates as he scored 10 goals in 20 league games, winning the 2011-12 PSL crown, their last league title, MTN8 in 2011, the same year he won the Telkom Knockout.
At Ajax, Benni McCarthy won an Eredivisie title, two KNVB Cups, claimed the UEFA Intertoto Cup with Celta Vigo, while he lifted two league titles, Champions League and three domestic cups in Portugal with Porto.
Benni was part of South Africa’s team that finished second at the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations, when he was named Player of the Tournament, retiring from international football in 2012 after 31 goals in 79 matches.
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Benni McCarthy’s Coaching Career
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Benni McCarthy’s coaching career invloves a successful stint at AmaZulu. Phot/AmaZulu FC
After hanging his boots in 2013, Benni McCarthy took up coaching and ensured he was qualified for it, acquiring a UEFA Pro License.
He had started with the U20s at Scottish side Hibernian in April 2015 as he worked on his coaching badges before a short stint as assistant coach at Belgian club Sint-Truidense but left for personal reasons.
Benni McCarthy’s first job as head coach started on June 13, 2017 when he was handed the reins at Cape Town City, who he led to their first trophy, the MTN8 in 2018, but on November 4, 2019, he was dismissed having won just two of his previous 18 games.
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Benni McCarthy worked as first-team coach at Manchester United from 2022-2024. Phot/Imago
On December 14, 2020, Benni McCarthy was unveiled as AmaZulu coach and did exceptionally well at the Durban-based club, leading them to second place in the South African top flight, their best-ever finish, in 2020-21.
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The Bafana Bafana legend was supposed to have been appointed Harambee Stars coach by January but what has delayed his arrival?
They qualified for the CAF Champions League, where they made it to the group stages, but he was sacked on March 25, 2022.
Benni McCarthy’s big coaching job would come in July 2022 when he was named as part of Erik ten Hag’s backroom staff at Manchester United, where he worked as the club’s attacking coach for two years until June 2024.
Is Benni McCarthy married?
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Benni McCarthy is married to Scottish model Stacey Munro since 2014. Photo/Benni McCarthy Instagram
Benni McCarthy is married to Scottish model Stacey Munro whom they have been together since May 2014 and they have two children (son and daughter). He also has three daughters from his previous marriage to Spaniard Maria Santos.
Has Benni McCarthy landed Harambee Stars job?
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Benni McCarthy is reported to have agreed to take over as Harambee Stars coach. Photo/Imago
Benni McCarthy has been widely reported to be the man set to be appointed Harambee Stars coach with Football Kenya Federation having reached an agreement with his camp in December 2024 but waiting to clear some things before making it public.
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McCarthy is reported to have agreed a two-year contract in what would be his first job as national team coach.
How rich is Benni McCarthy?
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Benni McCarthy has worked at various clubs including Manchester United. Photo/Imago
Benni McCarthy is reported to be worth $16 million, thanks to his football earnings, investments and properties, which include houses in the UK and South Africa, and luxury cars, as per Celebrity Net Worth.
Benni McCarthy Profile
Full Name: Benedict Saul McCarthy
Date of birth: 12 November 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth: Cape Town, South Africa
Height: 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position: Striker
Youth career
Young Pirates
Crusaders
Senior Career
1995-1997: Seven Stars Games
1996-1997: Cape Town Spurs (loan)
1997-1999: Ajax Amsterdam
1999-2003: Celta Vigo
2003-2006: FC Porto
2006-2010: Blackburn Rovers
2010-2011: West Ham United
2011-2013: Orlando Pirates
International career
South Africa U23: Games 13
1997-2012: South Africa Games 79, Goals 31
Coaching Career
2015-2016: Sint-Truiden (assistant)
2017-2019: Cape Town City
2020-2022: AmaZulu
2022-2024: Manchester United (first team coach)
