Soccer
Benni McCarthy
Table of Contents
Benni McCarthy is a former professional South African footballer who played as a striker. He is currently working as a head coach for the Durban-based PSL team, AmaZulu Football Club, where he was appointed on December 14, 2020.
| Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Benedict Saul McCarthy |
| Date Of Birth | 2 November 1977 |
| Birth Place | Cape Town, South Africa |
| Zodiac | Scorpio |
| Height | 6 feet |
| Weight | 87 kg |
| Age | 44 years old |
| Parent(s) | Dora and a late Dudley McCarthy |
| Occupation | Coach |
| Nationality | South African |
| Current Team | AmaZulu F.C. |
| Position | Striker/ Manager |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife(s) | Maria Santos (Ex) and Stacey Munro (Present) |
| Children | 4 |
| Social Media | Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |
| Net Worth | Between $5 and $8 million |
Benni McCarthy Early Life
On November 2, 1977, Benni McCarthy was born to Dora and a late Dudley McCarthy in Cape Town, South Africa. McCarthy stands 6 feet tall and weighs 87 kg, speaking of his physique.
His full name is Benedict Saul McCarthy, and he is presently 44 years old. Benni has a zodiac sign of Scorpio.
He also has three siblings, Stella (sister) and Jerome and Mark (older and younger brothers).
Benni McCarthy Career.
Youth Career
Benni started his adventure at a local side, Young Pirates, managed by his uncles. He then attended the youth academy of a local amateur club, Crusaders.
Senior Career
At age 17, he signed for the first division club, Seven Stars, in 1995. Benni had 49 appearances and scored 39 goals for the club before being loaned to Cape Town Spurs for the 1996–1997 season.
He moved to Dutch giants AFC Ajax in 1997, where he contributed 20 goals and appeared in 36 matches. Benni was crowned champion in his first season at Ajax.
In 1999, he was sold to the La Liga side Celta de Vigo where he struggled to get into the first team. McCarthy was sent out on loan to Portuguese powerhouse FC Porto for the 2001–02 season.
He returned to Celta after his loan spell at Porto. However, he didn’t get many chances and was still benched in most games during the 2002-03 season.
In 2003, Porto bought him permanently, where he got to show his talent and prove himself as a great player.
The 2003-04 season was the most remarkable in his entire career. He earned the Golden Boot award for the season in the Primeira Liga and the UEFA Champions League, defeating Monaco 3-0 in the final.
Before he departed from Porto, he made 85 appearances and netted 46 goals for the club.
On July 28, 2006, he signed for English side Blackburn Rovers with a four-year contract. Benni also had a great time with the Rovers. A striker contributed 52 goals in 140 games for Blackburn in all competitions.
On February 1, 2010, a South African joined another English team, West Ham United, in two and a half-year deal.
His time at West ham didn’t go as a plan. He appeared in only fourteen matches in all competitions and failed to score a single goal for the club. As a result, Benni got his contract terminated by mutual consent.
He returned to his country to join Orlando Pirates and penned a two-year contract on August 2, 2011. On May 19, 2012, Benni scored two goals in the final half-hour to help the Pirates maintain their Premier League title by defeating the Golden Arrows 4–2.
He ended his great season with 10 league goals, finishing fourth in goal scoring in the Premier League and assisting the club in securing their second consecutive treble.
Hence, Benni became the first South African footballer to triumph in three league titles with three different clubs on two different continents. Following his great time with the pirates, he retired from professional football on June 6, 2013, aged 35.
International Career
On June 4, 1997, Benni debuted for South Africa in a friendly against the Netherlands. He played the 1998 and 2002 World Cup for his nation.
A striker was the equal best scorer in the 1998 African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso, along with experienced Egyptian striker Hossam Hassan, with seven goals, including four in 13 minutes against Namibia. He also received Player of the Tournament honors.
Post Retirement Career
Following his retirement as a player from football, he began managing and coaching the team. Benni is currently instructing AmaZulu F.C., which he joined in 2020.
Before working with AmaZulu, he managed Sint-Truiden as an assistant coach (2015–2016) and Cape Town City as a head coach (2017–2019).
Benni McCarthy Personal Life
Benni McCarthy married Spanish woman Maria Santos in 2004. Minna, Mya, and Allegra are the couple’s three daughters. Nevertheless, they broke up in 2007.
He married Stacey Munro, a model from Scotland, in May 2014. Lima Rose is their only child.
Aside from his coaching career, he may motivate his girls to pursue their aspirations by setting himself as an example.
Benni McCarthy’s Net Worth
There is no information on his actual earnings at this moment. Perhaps Benni hasn’t yet informed the media of his income. Meanwhile, according to our estimates, his net worth might be somewhere between $5 million and $8 million.
Nonetheless, he is currently in charge of Amazulu and maybe earn a decent living from it.
Benni McCarthy Social Media
Benni McCarthy uses regular social sites, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. He has 241k followers and 0 followings on Facebook, where he goes by Benni McCarthy_Official.
He has a Twitter handle @bennimccarthy17, and it has 462 followings and 209.9K followers. Similarly, his Instagram handle is @bennimac17, and it has 1,010 posts, 144k followers, and 1,970 followings.
He often tweets and posts about football. Follow him on all three platforms to stay updated on his life.
For full biography about your favorite Footballer, please check out Sportscovering.
