Tribute to Benni McCarthy

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

Tweet @shudulizah

Twitter: @diskioff [www.twitter.com/diskioff]

If you want to be a Guest Writer via Diskioff please send your article/s to diskioff@gmail.com - subject ‘Guest Writer’.