Benni McCarthy in a past training with Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo at Old Trafford| Photo Courtesy|
The Federation of Kenya Football (FKF) is set to announce the new Harambee Stars head coach who will be taking over from Engin Firat.
Several trusted sources have already revealed that the South African national team-all time top scorer Benni McCarthy will be the next Harambee Stars boss and it is just a matter of time. But who is Benni McCarthy?
He was born on 12 November 1977 in South Africa. He started his professional football career at Seven Stars Fc between 1995 – 1997 before being loaned to Cape Town Sports for the 1996/97 season.
McCarthy joined Ajax FC of Netherlands in 1997 before moving to Spain where he featured for Celta Vigo between 1999-2003.
He later joined the Portuguese giants Porto FC from 2003-2006.He became the first South African to win the prestigious UEFA Champions League cup during the 2003/04 campaign. McCarthy established himself as a lethal striker with several clubs across Europe eyeing for his signature.
He signed for Blackburn Rovers where he performed overwhelmingly catching attention of the London based club Westham United. Although he struggled to establish himself at the club, he managed to make several appearances and scoring a number of goals for the Hammers. McCarthy hanged his boots in his home soil at Orlando Pirates from 2011-2013.
Having played football at the top and highest level, McCarthy decided to become a professional coach. His first stint was in 2015 where he became the assistant coach of Sint Truiden for a season. He later penned down a 2- year contract at Cape Town City FC in 2017 before moving to AmaZulu in 2020.
He was appointed a first team coach at Manchester United in 2022 working under Erik Ten Hag specializing in striking. He has worked with several decorated managers at Manchester United including Ten Hag and the current coach Reuben Amorim.
The Harambee Stars prospect carries with him a lot of experience to the Kenyan national team with a number of football enthusiasts confident and optimistic of better results. The South African tactician will be tasked to lead the national team back to the lost glory with his major assignment being the upcoming CHAN games where Kenya will be co-hosting alongside Tanzania and Uganda.
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