Benni McCarthy

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Benni McCarthy
McCarthy warming up for West Ham United in 2010
Personal information
Full name Benedict Saul McCarthy[1]
Date of birth (1977-11-12) 12 November 1977
Place of birth Cape Town, South Africa
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 Kenya (manager)
Youth career
Young Pirates
Crusaders
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1997 Seven Stars 49 (42)
1996–1997 → Cape Town Spurs (loan) 7 (3)
1997–1999 Ajax 36 (20)
1999–2003 Celta Vigo 66 (10)
2001–2002 → Porto (loan) 11 (12)
2003–2006 Porto 75 (34)
2006–2010 Blackburn Rovers 109 (37)
2010–2011 West Ham United 11 (0)
2011–2013 Orlando Pirates 24 (10)
Total 387 (168)
International career
South Africa U23 13
1997–2012 South Africa 79 (31)
Managerial career
2017–2019 Cape Town City
2020–2022 AmaZulu
2025– Kenya
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  South Africa
Africa Cup of Nations
Runner-up1998 Burkina Faso
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Benedict Saul McCarthy (born 12 November 1977) is a South African professional soccer coach and former player who is currently the manager of the Kenya national football team. A former forward, McCarthy is the South Africa national team's all-time top scorer with 31 goals.[3] He is also the only South African to have won the UEFA Champions League, doing so with Porto in 2004. In 2026, FIFA cited McCarthy as one of the greatest South African players of all time.[4]

McCarthy previously worked as the head coach of South African Premier Division sides Cape Town City and AmaZulu, and as striker's coach at Premier League club Manchester United.[5][6][7]

Early life

Benni McCarthy was born in Cape Town and grew up in Hanover Park in the Cape Flats,[8] an area notorious for its high unemployment rate and gang violence. He is the son of Dudley and Dora McCarthy and has two brothers and a sister.[9] His older brother is Jerome McCarthy, a former professional footballer who played for Kaizer Chiefs and Manning Rangers, among other clubs, while his younger brother Mark played football at Franklin Pierce University in the United States.[9]

McCarthy began playing at a local side called Young Pirates, which was managed by his uncles. He then joined the youth structures of a local amateur club called Crusaders. At age 17, he was signed by first division club Seven Stars.[10]

Club career

Seven Stars

Playing for Seven Stars, the 18-year-old McCarthy scored 1 goal in 29 matches in the 1995–96 season, followed by another 12 goals in 20 matches, which earned him a transfer to Cape Town Spurs, which two years later merged with Seven Stars to form Dutch club Ajax's feeder team, Ajax Cape Town.

Ajax

In 1997, after an impressive showing at the African Youth Championship and FIFA World Youth Championship in Malaysia, he joined Ajax in the Eredivisie, where he scored nine goals and was crowned champion in his first season. After a relatively successful 1998–99 season, he was sold to Spanish side Celta Vigo for a transfer fee reported to be over €6 million, at the time the most expensive transfer for a South African player.

Celta Vigo

McCarthy joined Celta in 1999, but struggled to established himself as a regular choice for Celta's manager, Víctor Fernández.[11] After two poor seasons at the Galician club, he was loaned to Porto.

Loan to Porto

McCarthy joined Porto in the 2001–02 season under the then newly appointed coach José Mourinho, where he became the main force behind the team's recovery. He helped them to third place in the Primeira Liga and automatic qualification for the UEFA Cup with 12 goals in 11 matches, but Porto's finances did not allow them to keep the player, despite the desire of both sides to continue.

Return from loan

In 2002–03, McCarthy returned to Celta where he spent much of his time on the substitutes' bench as a squad player.

Porto

When Porto sold striker Hélder Postiga to Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the 2003–04 season, Porto finally acquired McCarthy for a sum of €7.856 million[12] (later re-sold part of the rights to GestiFute and First Portuguese Football Players Fund).

For the 2003–04 Primeira Liga season, he earned the Golden Boot award (with 20 goals in 23 starts) on the season's final matchday with a hat-trick, and was instrumental in Porto's run in the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League, which they won. He scored two goals against Manchester United to defeat them in the second round.

Blackburn Rovers

On 25 July 2006, McCarthy flew out to England to undergo a medical and probable contract signing to join Blackburn Rovers.[13] Three days later, he signed a four-year contract with Blackburn for a £2.5 million transfer fee. The move meant that Rovers regularly fielded a side that contained two South African Internationals, the other being Aaron Mokoena who joined the club the year previous.

After a disappointing performance in the side's 3–0 defeat to Portsmouth, McCarthy found the net on his debut at Ewood Park against Everton on 23 August 2006. McCarthy further endeared himself to Rovers fans, scoring a goal on his European debut for the club in a 2–2 against Red Bull Salzburg in the UEFA Cup, and scoring another in the return leg. He finished second top scorer in the Premier League in 2006–07 with 18 league goals, as well as 24 in all competitions.

The following season got off to a poor start for McCarthy when he was stretchered off in the Premier League opening day win against Middlesbrough. McCarthy was out of action for a few weeks and found first team opportunities limited, largely because the form of new striking arrival Roque Santa Cruz. Despite being limited to largely substitute appearances, McCarthy did find the net 11 times in all competitions.

In the 2008–09 season, McCarthy appeared to be out of favour with new manager Paul Ince, as the club's strike force was strengthened with the arrivals of Carlos Villanueva and Robbie Fowler to join the already established Roque Santa Cruz, Jason Roberts and Matt Derbyshire. However, McCarthy answered these critics by scoring his first goal of the campaign – a 94th-minute equaliser in a Premier League match against Middlesbrough.

In all competitions for Blackburn, McCarthy scored 52 goals in 140 matches.

West Ham United

McCarthy completed a move to West Ham United for an undisclosed fee on transfer deadline day, 1 February 2010. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract that was due to run until the summer of 2012. He made his Premier League debut for West Ham against Burnley at Turf Moor in a 2–1 defeat on 6 February 2010, where he sustained an injury which would keep him out for six weeks.[14] In February 2011, having played just 326 minutes of football, making only three starts and failing to score any goals for West Ham, McCarthy was omitted from West Ham's 25-man squad for the remainder of the 2010–11 season. He was also offered a £1 million pay-off in exchange for terminating his contract prematurely.[15][16] In April 2011, McCarthy left West Ham by mutual agreement after the parties agreed to terminate his contract.[17] He made only two Premier League starts and fourteen appearances in all competitions scoring no goals.[18]

Orlando Pirates

After leaving West Ham, McCarthy trained with former club Ajax Cape Town during the ABSA Premier League off-season. On 2 August, Orlando Pirates confirmed the signing of McCarthy on a two-year deal, ending his 14-year spell in Europe. On signing, McCarthy said, "I'm thrilled and delighted and hope I can show my appreciation by coming in and playing good football and hope to score as many goals as possible to put the team where they belong."[19] McCarthy began the season by scoring on debut and vowed to score more goals.

McCarthy scored two goals in the final half-hour to help the Pirates defeat the Golden Arrows 4–2 on 19 May 2012 to retain their Premier League title.[20] He finished his successful season with ten league goals, ending the campaign as the fourth leading goal-scorer in the Premier League, helping the club secure their second successive treble. Having already won a league championship with Ajax in the Netherlands as well with Porto both domestically and in Europe, McCarthy would make football history by winning the league championship with Orlando Pirates in South Africa. This meant McCarthy was the first South African footballer to win three league titles with three different football clubs on two different continents.[21]

McCarthy, who is affectionately known as "Big Brother" by the Orlando Pirates faithful, was handed a red card for dissent in the MTN 8 secondleg semi-final played on 25 August 2012 after he charged Franklin Cale after a reckless challenge on Daine Klate. This incident lead to protesting fans whom, in their view, Cale was equally guilty in the incident and should have also been shown red. McCarthy announced his retirement from professional football on 6 June 2013, aged 35.[22]

Whitehill Welfare

On 13 July 2014, McCarthy made a guest appearance for Scottish Lowland league club Whitehill Welfare in a pre-season friendly against a Hamilton Academical XI, scoring in the 14th minute and providing an assist for Whitehill Welfare player Kerr Dodds to score in the 20th minute.[23][24] McCarthy has a connection with the club through one of the Whitehill players, John Hall.[25]

International career

McCarthy's international career began at youth level. He initially played as a winger before being converted to a striker by South Africa Under-20 head coach Ephraim Shakes Mashaba. The change proved effective, and McCarthy eventually developed into one of the most prolific strikers in South African football.

McCarthy came to international prominence at the 1997 African Youth Championship, where he emerged as a key player for the Under-20 side, finishing as the tournament's top scorer and being named Player of the Tournament.[26] South Africa finished runners-up to Morocco, with McCarthy missing the final through suspension after accumulating yellow cards.[27] Following the tournament, he was called up by senior coach Clive Barker for a friendly against the Netherlands in June 1997. McCarthy made his international debut as a substitute, playing the final 18 minutes of South Africa's 2–0 defeat and becoming the third-youngest player to represent the national team at the time.[28] He was subsequently selected for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, where South Africa were eliminated in the group stage, and made two further appearances for the senior team before the end of the year.

His performances at club level in 1997 earned McCarthy a place in South Africa's squad for the 1998 African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso, ahead of established forwards such as Mark Williams and Shaun Bartlett. The tournament was his first major international competition with the senior national team. Despite the absence of experienced players such as Doctor Khumalo and Neil Tovey, South Africa reached the final for the second successive edition, with McCarthy playing a prominent role.

He made his Africa Cup of Nations debut against Angola, becoming the youngest South African to appear at the tournament. He was substituted in the ninth minute as a precaution after receiving a yellow card for an act of petulance that had nearly resulted in him being sent off.[29] On 16 February 1998, he scored all four goals in a 4–1 victory over Namibia, becoming the first South African to score four goals in a single Africa Cup of Nations match. At 20 years and 96 days, he also became the youngest South African to score at the tournament, surpassing the previous record held by Mark Fish. The record has since been broken by Thapelo Maseko. He scored again in the quarter-final against Morocco, surpassing the South African scoring record in the tournament previously held by Mark Williams and John Moshoeu, before scoring twice in the semi-final against the Democratic Republic of the Congo as South Africa won 2–1 after extra time.[30] South Africa lost 2–0 to Egypt in the final, while McCarthy was named Player of the Tournament.[26] Alongside veteran Egyptian striker Hossam Hassan, he also finished as the tournament's joint top scorer with seven goals.[31]

Later in 1998, McCarthy was selected for South Africa's squad for the FIFA World Cup in France, the country's first appearance at the tournament.[32] He made his World Cup debut on 12 June in a 3–0 defeat to hosts France, becoming the youngest South African to appear at the World Cup. Six days later, he scored South Africa's first goal in the competition in a 1–1 draw with Denmark.[33] The result gave South Africa their first point at a World Cup, while McCarthy became the youngest South African to score at the tournament.[34] However, the third match also ended in a draw, against Saudi Arabia, which left the South Africans in third place and eliminated from the competition.

On 16 December 1998, McCarthy scored twice in a 2–1 victory over Egypt, taking his international tally to 11 goals for the year and setting a South African record for most goals scored by a player for the national team in a calendar year. He subsequently scored in each of the next ten years through 2008, matching Shaun Bartlett's national record for scoring in the most consecutive calendar years.[35]

McCarthy featured prominently during South Africa's qualifying campaign for the 2000 African Cup of Nations, appearing in all but one of the qualifying matches while often being unavailable for friendly fixtures. He also represented the South Africa Under-23 side in the qualifiers for the 2000 Summer Olympics.[36] In September 1999, McCarthy announced his retirement from international football, citing the demands placed on him by the national and under-23 teams and their impact on his club career with Celta Vigo.[37][38] At the time, McCarthy had already scored 13 goals in 23 internationals and was the second-highest goalscorer for the national team, behind only Phil Masinga.[39]

As a result of his retirement, McCarthy missed the 2000 African Cup of Nations. Although the South African Football Association attempted to persuade him to return, coach Trott Moloto initially excluded him from the squad before later naming him as a standby player.[40] Once the tournament had concluded, McCarthy was brought into Ephraim Mashaba's Under-23 squad for an Olympic qualifier against Cameroon.[41] He scored on his international return, helping South Africa secure a 2–0 victory, and was later recalled for their final qualifier against Guinea.[42] However, his parent club Celta Vigo initially refused to release him for the fixture, but SAFA intervened to make him available.[43] McCarthy began the match as a substitute and came on shortly before half-time, scoring with his first touch as South Africa won 4–1 to advance to the playoffs.[44] South Africa faced New Zealand in the playoffs and won both legs to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, with McCarthy scoring in the first half of the first leg.[45]

McCarthy returned to the senior team in June 2000, appearing in all three of South Africa's matches at the US Cup and scoring against Mexico.[46] The following month, he appeared in a World Cup qualifying match against Zimbabwe before being summoned to the under-23 team to participate in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He made his debut in the competition in South Africa's opening group-stage match, a 2–1 defeat to Japan. In the team's final group match, he scored in a 2–1 defeat to Slovakia on 20 September. Despite a historic victory over Brazil in the second game, South Africa finished third in the group and were eliminated.[47]

Following the Olympics, McCarthy was suspended for two World Cup qualifying matches in connection with an incident during the match against Zimbabwe in July. He had been accused of provoking Zimbabwe supporters while celebrating South Africa's second goal late in the match.[48] FIFA later lifted the suspension in December, allowing McCarthy to resume his international career.[49]

In February 2001, McCarthy became involved in another dispute with SAFA after failing to report for a World Cup qualifier against Malawi. SAFA subsequently notified FIFA of his absence, resulting in his suspension from playing for Celta Vigo in a UEFA Cup match against VfB Stuttgart of Germany and their Spanish league fixture against Alavés.[50][51] He was later recalled to the national squad and played an important role in the remaining fixtures, helping South Africa finish top of their qualification group and secure qualification for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.[52] He also helped South Africa qualify for the 2002 African Cup of Nations.

On 15 January 2002, McCarthy scored his 17th international goal in a 1-0 home victory over Angola, leaving him one goal behind Phil Masinga's tally on South Africa's all-time scoring list.[53] He was subsequently selected by coach Carlos Queiroz for the 2002 African Cup of Nations in Mali. McCarthy featured in all of South Africa's matches but failed to score as the team were eliminated by hosts Mali in the quarter-finals.[54][55]

Despite his disappointing tournament, McCarthy was selected by returning coach Jomo Sono for South Africa's 2002 FIFA World Cup squad.[56] In South Africa's final warm-up match before the tournament, he scored twice in a 2–0 victory over Turkey on 23 May 2002, moving ahead of Masinga and into second place again on the country's all-time scoring list behind Shaun Bartlett.[57]

At the World Cup, McCarthy played in all three group-stage matches. South Africa drew 2–2 with Paraguay and defeated Slovenia 1–0 before facing Spain in their final group match. McCarthy scored South Africa's equaliser in the 31st minute, but Spain eventually won 3–2, leaving South Africa third in the group and eliminating them from the tournament. His appearance against Spain was his sixth at a World Cup, taking his World Cup appearances to six and making him the most-capped South African player at the tournament at the time, alongside Lucas Radebe and Quinton Fortune. Aaron Mokoena later equalled the record.[58] His goal also made him the joint-leading South African scorer at the World Cup alongside Shaun Bartlett and made him the first South African male player to score in more than one edition of the tournament.[59]

However, a contract dispute with the South African Football Association (SAFA) in late 2002 once again brought McCarthy's international career to a halt.[60] The dispute continued into 2003 over his availability for national-team matches, which frequently conflicted with his club commitments. Despite this, McCarthy reached a personal milestone in November, earning his 50th cap in a friendly against Egypt and scoring the opening goal. He became the 10th South African to reach 50 international appearances and, at 26 years and three days old, was the second youngest to reach the milestone after Mark Fish. In recognition of the achievement, McCarthy was handed the captain's armband for the following friendly against Tunisia, in which South Africa had two players sent off in a 2–0 defeat.[61] McCarthy announced his second retirement from international football shortly before the 2004 African Cup of Nations.[62][63] He returned to the national team in April 2004, but South Africa failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, finishing behind Ghana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[64][65] Their third-place finish nevertheless secured qualification for the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.[66]

Unfortunately, the competition was a disaster for both South Africa and McCarthy. McCarthy became involved in a dispute with SAFA over player remuneration after refusing to sign the team's contract, citing the lack of prior negotiations and denying accusations that he had encouraged other players to demand more money.[67][68]

He started South Africa's first two matches of the tournament against Guinea and Tunisia. Defeat against Guinea put South Africa under pressure heading into their second group match, with a win against Tunisia required to keep their hopes alive. McCarthy missed a good opportunity before his misplaced pass allowed Francileudo Dos Santos to break the deadlock in the 32nd minute. Tunisia extended their advantage after the interval when Slim Benachour finished first-time from Hatem Trabelsi's cut-back in the 58th minute, leaving South Africa facing a second consecutive defeat and elimination.[69] Coach Ted Dumitru subsequently replaced him with Katlego Mphela for the final group match. South Africa lost all three of their group matches without scoring and were eliminated in the first round.[70]

Following the tournament, McCarthy was criticised by some SAFA officials over his involvement in the remuneration dispute. He subsequently rejected further call-ups, accusing the federation of portraying him negatively during the tournament.[71] McCarthy stated that he would not return to the national team until SAFA apologised.[72]

Following the appointment of Carlos Alberto Parreira as South Africa's coach in January 2007, reports emerged of a possible return for McCarthy.[73] He initially rejected a call-up for an African Cup of Nations qualification match against Chad, maintaining his position in the dispute with SAFA.[74] After South Africa's 1–0 friendly defeat to Scotland in August 2007, Parreira travelled to England to meet McCarthy in an effort to resolve the disagreement and persuade him to return to the national team.[75] The meeting was successful, and McCarthy returned in September.[76] He scored on his return against Zambia in a 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. The goal helped South Africa qualify for the tournament as one of the three best runners-up and brought McCarthy level with Shaun Bartlett's tally of 29 international goals.[77][78] However, he was not included in the squad for the final tournament.[79]

On 26 March 2008, McCarthy scored his 30th international goal in a 3–0 friendly victory over Paraguay, surpassing Bartlett to become South Africa's all-time leading goalscorer. Bartlett was present at the match to witness the achievement, while McCarthy's Blackburn Rovers teammate Aaron Mokoena earned his 74th cap, equalling Bartlett's record for most appearances at the time.[80]

On 19 August 2008, McCarthy set a new record for the longest international career by a South African player, spanning 11 years and 76 days, when he featured in a 2–2 draw with Australia. He surpassed the previous record held by John Moshoeu, which had stood for four years. In his following appearance, McCarthy captained South Africa in a 2010 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria. South Africa lost the match 1–0, a result that ended their hopes of qualifying for the tournament.[81][82] McCarthy scored his 31st and final international goal on 15 October 2008, finding the net in a 2–1 home victory over Ghana. The goal came on his 74th appearance for South Africa, drawing him level with Shaun Bartlett as the country's joint-second most-capped player at the time.[83]

Joel Santana took charge of the South African national team in 2008 after Carlos Alberto Parreira resigned for personal reasons.[84][85] The following year, Santana left McCarthy out of the squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.[86] McCarthy's omission came after he had withdrawn from friendly matches against Norway and Portugal in March, citing a hamstring injury. Santana subsequently questioned McCarthy's commitment to international duty.[87][88]

Parreira returned as head coach in October 2009 and immediately recalled McCarthy to the national team, starting him in friendlies against Japan and Jamaica.[89][90] McCarthy did not feature for South Africa again until 27 May 2010, when he came on as a substitute against Colombia in the team's third-to-last friendly before the World Cup. However, amid concerns over his fitness and criticism in South Africa regarding his weight, McCarthy was omitted from the final 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, announced on 1 June 2010.[91]

Prior to the 2010 World Cup, held in South Africa, McCarthy announced his support for the Gun-Free World Cup campaign being run by International Action Network on Small Arms. He said, "This World Cup will be the biggest in football history and the fact that it is taking place in South Africa is a chance for us to show the world everything that is good about our country. It's great that guns will be banned from stadiums – it's going to be a fantastic party, and guns have no place in that."[92]

Managerial career

Hibernian

Living in Edinburgh since 2013, McCarthy confirmed in April 2015, that he had joined the coaching staff of Alan Stubbs at Scottish club Hibernian.[93] Stubbs had invited McCarthy so he could just learn the coaching side of things. McCarthy knew Stubbs back from their playing days when McCarthy was at Blackburn Rovers and Stubbs was at Everton. McCarthy said, that he was going to help out with the U20s, and assisting with the first team.

Sint-Truiden

In February 2015, he did a short internship at Sint-Truidense under Yannick Ferrera. On 8 September 2015, McCarthy was appointed assistant manager to manager Chris O'Loughlin, who replaced Yannick Ferrera.[94] Working his way through the different tiers of the UEFA Coaching Badges system, McCarthy met O'Loughlin.

On 20 April 2016, McCarthy stopped working with Sint-Truiden for personal reasons, after it was previously announced that his contract was not renewed.[95]

Cape Town City

On 13 June 2017, McCarthy was unveiled as the new Cape Town City head coach,[96] replacing Eric Tinkler, who moved to manage SuperSport United. McCarthy would complete his UEFA Pro License while coaching City, and would win his first silverware as a coach in 2018 when he guided City to the MTN 8 cup.[97] On 4 November 2019, McCarthy was dismissed as head coach of Cape Town City after just two wins in 18 games.

AmaZulu

On 14 December 2020, McCarthy was unveiled as the new AmaZulu head coach, replacing Ayanda Dlamini, who stepped down from the position on 7 December 2020. He took the club to a second-place finish in the DStv Premiership, a record high for AmaZulu in the modern era of the game in South Africa. As a result, AmaZulu qualified for the preliminary rounds of the 2021–22 CAF Champions League. McCarthy led AmaZulu to the group stages of the 2021–22 CAF Champions League in their debut season before exiting the competition. McCarthy and AmaZulu parted company on 25 March 2022.[98]

Manchester United

On 30 July 2022, McCarthy was appointed as a first-team striker's coach at Manchester United.[99] Benni McCarthy's contract with Manchester United ended on 27 June 2024. McCarthy chose not to renew his two-year contract so he could return to being a head coach.[100]

Kenya

On 3 March, 2025, McCarthy was named as Kenya national football team head coach[101][102] in an event graced by Kenya Olympic Committee President, Paul Tergat, FKF president Hussein Mohammed, his deputy McDonald Mariga and Odibets GM Dedan M.[103][104][105]

Personal life

In 2004, McCarthy married Maria Santos from Spain. They have three daughters together: Minna, Mya and Allegra. In 2007, they separated.[106] In May 2014, McCarthy married Scottish model Stacey Munro. Together, they have one daughter, Lima Rose, born 2012[107] and one son, Lio Romero, born in 2019.[108]

In 1998, McCarthy collaborated with South African kwaito music group TKZee in "Shibobo". The song released in the run-up to the 1998 World Cup in France samples greatly on "The Final Countdown" by Europe and features McCarthy rapping part of the lyrics. He also appears in the football-themed music video for the song. Sales of the single topped the 100,000 mark in just over a month in South Africa, making "Shibobo" the fastest and biggest selling CD single by TKZee or other South African recording artists. The song was also a hit in other African music charts. The song enjoyed a comeback in a re-release in 2010–11.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Ajax 1997–98 Eredivisie 17910–5[c]1–2310
1998–99 Eredivisie 191110–5[d]0002511
Total 362020–101004821
Celta Vigo 1999–2000 La Liga 31842–10[c]6–4516
2000–01 La Liga 19020–6[c]0–270
2001–02 La Liga 2000–3[c]1–51
2002–03 La Liga 14200–5[c]3–195
Total 661062–2410–9622
Porto (loan) 2001–02 Primeira Liga 111211–––1213
Porto 2003–04 Primeira Liga 292051–11[d]42[e]04725
2004–05 Primeira Liga 231110–8[d]33[f]03514
2005–06 Primeira Liga 23343–4[d]1–317
Total 8646115–2385012458
Blackburn Rovers 2006–07 Premier League 361853108[c]3–5024
2007–08 Premier League 31810214[c]2–3811
2008–09 Premier League 28105300––3313
2009–10 Premier League 1410053––194
Total 1093711684125–14052
West Ham United 2009–10 Premier League 500000––50
2010–11 Premier League 600030––90
Total 1100030––140
Career total 3081133013114692450422153
  1. Includes KNVB Cup, Copa del Rey, Taça de Portugal, FA Cup
  2. Includes Football League Cup
  3. Appearances in UEFA Cup
  4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. One appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, one appearance in UEFA Super Cup
  6. One appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, one appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance in Intercontinental Cup

International

Scores and results list South Africa's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each McCarthy goal.
List of international goals scored by Benni McCarthy[109]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
116 February 1998Stade Municipal, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso Namibia1–04–01998 African Cup of Nations
22–0
33–0
44–0
522 February 1998Stade Municipal, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Morocco1–02–11998 African Cup of Nations
625 February 1998Stade du 4 Août, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso DR Congo1–12–11998 African Cup of Nations
72–1
86 June 1998Sportanlage Baiersbronn, Baiersbronn, Germany Iceland1–01–1Friendly
918 June 1998Stade de Toulouse, Toulouse, France Denmark1–11–11998 FIFA World Cup
1016 December 1998FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa Egypt1–12–1Friendly
112–1
1227 February 1999Odi Stadium, Mabopane, South Africa Gabon4–14–12000 African Cup of Nations qualification
135 June 1999Kings Park Stadium, Durban, South Africa Mauritius2–02–02000 African Cup of Nations qualification
147 June 2000Cotton Bowl, Dallas, United States Mexico1–22–4Friendly
1511 June 2000Giants Stadium, New York City, United States Republic of Ireland1–01–2Friendly
1624 March 2001Telkom Park Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa Mauritius1–03–02002 African Cup of Nations qualification
175 May 2001FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa Zimbabwe2–02–12002 FIFA World Cup qualification
1815 January 2002Mmabatho Stadium, Mafikeng, South Africa Angola1–01–0Friendly
1923 May 2002Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong Turkey1–02–0Friendly
202–0
2112 June 2002Daejeon World Cup Stadium, Daejeon, South Korea Spain1–12–32002 FIFA World Cup
2222 May 2003Kings Park Stadium, Durban, South Africa England1–11–2Friendly
2315 November 2003Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt Egypt1–01–2Friendly
2418 August 2004Tunis, Tunisia Tunisia1–02–0Friendly
2510 October 2004National Stadium, Kampala, Uganda Uganda1–01–02006 FIFA World Cup qualification
269 February 2005Kings Park Stadium, Durban, South Africa Australia1–01–1Friendly
274 June 2005Estádio da Várzea, Praia, Cape Verde Cape Verde1–02–12006 FIFA World Cup qualification
287 September 2005Weserstadion, Bremen, Germany Germany2–32–4Friendly
2914 January 2006Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt Egypt2–12–1Friendly
308 September 2007Newlands Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa Zambia1–31–32008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
3126 March 2008Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium, Pretoria, South Africa Paraguay2–03–0Friendly
3215 October 2008Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa Ghana1–12–1Friendly

Managerial

As of 18 March 2022

Team From To Record
GWDLWin %
Cape Town City 13 June 2017 3 November 2019 89372131041.57
AmaZulu 14 December 2020 25 March 2022 60232215038.33
Total 149604346040.27

Honours

Player

Ajax

Celta Vigo

Porto

Orlando Pirates

South Africa

Individual

Manager

Cape Town City

Discography

Singles

References

  1. "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 1 February 2010 and 28/02/2010" (PDF). The Football Association. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2012.
  2. "Premier League Player Profile". Premier League. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  3. "Benni McCarthy urges South Africa strikers to break his record". www.goal.com. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  4. "South Africa's road back to the top". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  5. "Confirmed: Benni Returns To The Dugout". Soccer Laduma. 14 December 2020.
  6. Molobi, Timothy. "Benni in the Bafana Zone". Citypress. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  7. "Manchester United to appoint Benni McCarthy as striker coach". FourFourTwo. 30 July 2022.
  8. Mitten, Andy Vianney (22 February 2004). "Benni's shop window of opportunity". The Independent. London. Retrieved 18 April 2009.
  9. "Benni McCarthy's father dies". sport24.co.za. 13 November 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
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