Benni McCarthy Profile

Much will be expected of South Africa’s prodigal son, Benni McCarthy, at the 2010 Football World Cup. One of only a handful of South African players with experience at the highest levels of club football, McCarthy will need to put his love-hate relationship with the football administrators in his home country behind him if he wishes to help take his country to their best performance at a World Cup.

Playing Position: Striker
Club: West Ham United
Jersey Number: 17

Benni McCarthy Bio

Benni McCarthy was born in Cape Town, South Africa on the 12 November 1977. McCarthy grew up on the impoverished cape flats, and received strong support from his family, which had strong football traditions.

McCarthy began his football career with the Young Pirates youth club, before joining amateur side, the Crusaders, in his teens. McCarthy’s extraordinary talent was evident from an early age, and he was invited to join first division side, Seven Stars, at the age of 17.

Benni McCarthy Career

McCarthy spent the first three years of his professional career at Seven Stars, racking up goals by the dozen as he rapidly matured into one of the finest scorers in the South African first division.

During McCarthy’s third season at Seven Stars the club was merged into new club outfit, Ajax Cape Town. This brought McCarthy to the attention of the foreign bosses of the club, and McCarthy was invited to join Ajax Amsterdam in 1998.

McCarthy impressed during his first two seasons in European football, emerging as one of the top scorers in the Eeredivisie during this period. Celta Vigo closed in on the young South African, and in 1999 he transferred to La Liga, breaking the record for a transfer fee for a South African player.

The move to Celta Vigo proved to be abortive, as McCarthy struggled to make the first team. He soon found himself on loan to FC Porto, where he settled in quickly under new coach, Jose Mourinho, to help the club achieve its best league finish in several seasons.

McCarthy was soon called back by Celta and went back to spending time on the bench. However, Porto had not forgotten his contribution, and McCarthy was eventually signed by the club in 2003 once it had acquired sufficient funds to pay for his transfer.

The next three seasons at Porto saw McCarthy find his best form. McCarthy won the Golden Boot in 2004 and played an important role in helping Porto to win the Champions League, scoring a brace of goals against Manchester United in the second round.

Following Mourinho’s departure from Porto, McCarthy made the decision to join the exodus from the club and move to the Premier League, signing with Blackburn Rovers. McCarthy would spend four seasons at the club without re-scaling the heights he had reached with Porto.

In 2010 a dissatisfied McCarthy departed Blackburn for Premiership rivals West Ham United.

The South African football team and Benni McCarthy have had an on-and-off relationship since 1998. During this time McCarthy has scored over 30 goals for his country, which included 4 goals in a single match against Namibia in 1998.

Benni McCarthy Playing Style

Benni McCarthy has excellent ball control skills and the ability to play in tight spaces. He has, however, been criticized for his lack of positional awareness and knack for getting caught offside. He’s nevertheless a clinical, opportunistic finisher, who is rated as one of the world’s safest penalty takers.