Born 47 years ago in Cape Town, South Africa, Benni McCarthy is regarded as one of the greatest footballers in the history of Bafana Bafana. His extensive football career paved the way for his appointment as the head coach of Harambee Stars.
As a striker, McCarthy played for several clubs: Ajax in the Netherlands, Celta de Vigo in Spain, Porto in Portugal, Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United in England, and he ended his playing career at Orlando Pirates in South Africa.
McCarthy’s most successful period as a player occurred during his time at Porto, where he won multiple accolades, including the UEFA Champions League in 2004 under the guidance of José Mourinho. His other achievements with Porto include two Primeira Liga titles, the Taça de Portugal, two Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira titles, and the Intercontinental Cup.
He began his coaching career in 2014 as a youth team coach at the Scottish club Hibernian, where he also assisted the senior team. McCarthy later moved to Belgian club Sint-Truiden, starting as an intern and progressing to assistant coach. It was at Sint-Truiden that he completed his coaching licenses.
In June 2016, McCarthy became the head coach of Cape Town City FC in South Africa. He earned his UEFA Pro License while coaching AmaZulu FC. His first coaching trophy came in 2017 when he led Cape Town City to victory in the MTN Super 8.
McCarthy took over as head coach of AmaZulu FC in December 2020, guiding the team to a second-place finish in the Premier Soccer League, which was their best-ever league result, as well as qualification for the 2021-22 CAF Champions League. Under his leadership, AmaZulu reached the group stages of the Champions League before he departed in March 2022.
In July 2022, McCarthy joined Manchester United as an attacking coach, where he worked with the forwards until his two-year contract concluded in July 2024.
McCarthy’s coaching staff includes Vassili Manousakis as assistant coach, Joseph Moeneeb as goalkeeping coach, and Pilela Maposa as performance analyst with home they all worked together at Amazulu in South Africa.
