I
would like to congratulate Benni McCarthy for an outstanding 17 years of
football career at national and international level. Bravo to McCarthy for
calling it a day in the football at the right time whilst he was still on top
of his game despite injuries that kept him out of the game for the better part
of last season. We are still going to talk about McCarthy’s impact in the South
African football in the coming years.
He
raised the African flag beyond the rest representing the continent with
distinction in the European and also African football. He won the biggest
accolades than any other South African player.
He
out-competed, out-played and out-displayed world finest players under the
guidance of world best coaches including Jose Mourihno. The African football
history will be inadequate without mentioning the name McCarthy.
My
two biggest memories about McCarthy will be scoring 4 quickest goals within 12
minutes at the international level when Bafana Bafana hammered hopeless Namibia
4-1 at Omnisport Stadium, Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso for the 1998 African
Nations Cup. McCarthy finished the tournament as joint top-scorer alongside
Hossam Hassan of Egypt with seven goals.
My
last remarkable memory was when McCarthy scored the first ever South African
goal in the FIFA World Cup game against Denmark in 18 June 1998 at Municipal Stadium,
Toulouse in France. He scored the goal against the world best keeper Peter
Schmeichel of Denmark through shibobo (between his legs). Those two outstanding
memories will live in my heart forever.
McCarthy
is an embodiment of South Africa's winning spirit and I want to take this
opportunity to urge our upcoming youngsters to take a leaf out of McCarthy's
book that if you want to be the best you beat the best. The sky is not the
limit for the upcoming youngstars to emulate McCarthy’s outstanding soccer
career.
McCarthy
is a true legend of our football. The country should utilise his international
experience either at team or national team level or even at the South African
Football Association (SAFA). Other Nation FAs have former soccer players as
their administrators but which is not the case in South Africa. It is true that
not all former soccer players have administration skills but we need to start
introduce them gradual in the FA leadership.
The
country already failed to utilise the International expertise and quality
leadership skills of former Bafana and Leeds United Lucas Radebe. Having former
players at SAFA will improve the game both technical and tactical which will
benefit the local football.
I
salute Benni McCarthy!
By Owen Mundalamo
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