Benni McCarthy excelled at Orlando Pirates as a player but now he’s revealed how close he came to becoming their manager.
Benni discusses his chance to become the Orlando Pirates boss
The South African legend discussed the Buccaneers on Radio 2000. Details via FarPost:
“There was [a chance] once upon a time, way before Jose Riveiro came to Pirates,” McCarthy shared. “I did speak with the chairman [Dr. Irvin Khoza]. It was almost a done deal; it was kind of me going back to coach Orlando Pirates.”
“I think it was the Swedish coach [Kjell Jonevret]. I did speak with the chairman [Dr Irvin Khoza]. It was almost a done deal; it was kind of me going back to coach the Orlando Pirates. But I think the Chairman at the last minute decided to go for someone with more experience because, like I said, I didn’t have a lot of coaching experience.
“But I think I would have done an amazing job because of the players Pirates had at the time. Not even Sundowns could have come close. But Sundowns had coach Pitso then and were able to achieve everything they have done because they were coached properly by a proper coach,” he added.
“If I was given that opportunity with that Pirates team, I think there would have been fireworks. But that was the closest I came to coaching Pirates and after that, it was just always rumours.
“People were connecting me to coaching Pirates and Chiefs. When there is a vacancy my name gets thrown in, but I think it was also to attract other coaches when it looked like Benni McCarthy is close to signing for one of those two teams.”
Benni’s playing accolades
- First and only South African UEFA Champions League winner with Porto in 2004.
- Two-time Primeira Liga winner with Porto.
- Dutch Eredivisie champion with Ajax Amsterdam in 1998.
- Champion of South Africa with Orlando Pirates in 2011-12.
- Nedbank Cup and MTN8 winner in 2011, also with Pirates.
- All-time leading scorer for Bafana Bafana with 31 goals from 80 caps.
- Until 2023 when Lyle Foster made the switch to Burnley, Benni was the most expensive South African footballer of all time. He moved from Ajax to Celta Vigo for €6m in 1999.
- Benni Scored 18 goals in 36 Premier League appearances in the 2006-07 season.
- In October 2007, Benni McCarthy finished a sequence of scoring with 10 consecutive shots on target in the Premier League.
Benni in the dugout
- Led Cape Town City to MTN8 glory in 2018-19.
- Guided AmaZulu into the CAF Champions League.
- EFL Cup champion in 2022-2023
- FA Cup champion in 2023-2024
Is Benni a legit contender for the Pirates job one day?
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