Benni McCarthy: Why Harambee Stars Coach’s Bafana Record is Here to Stay

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy will remain South Africa’s all-time top scorer for much longer as none of the chasing pack can still hold a candle to him.

Burnley striker Lyle Foster last week expressed a desire to break Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy’s scoring record for South Africa but it will not be that easy.

Foster, who is in line to feature at his first Africa Cup of Nations at this year’s edition in Morocco, made it clear that knocking McCarthy off his perch as Bafana Bafana all-time top scorer remains his priority.

McCarthy’s 31 goals in 70 caps earned between 1997 and 2012 made him South Africa’s record scorer and no one has come close with Bernard Parker (23), Katlego Mphela (20), Shaun Bartlett (19) and Percy Tau (15) completing the top five.

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Who Are the Leading Active Players?

From the five, only Tau is still active but the “Lion of Judah” looks to have bid the national team goodbye as he has been overlooked since last year by Bafana coach Hugo Broos and will certainly miss the AFCON and possibly next year’s World Cup since his move to Vietnam in the summer.

Among the players still active, Mamelodi Sundowns playmaker Themba Zwane leads the list with 12 goals for South Africa followed by club-mate Teboho Mokoena on nine goals and then Foster on eight.

There is Bongani Zungu of AmaZulu with six and then Orlando Pirates duo Oswin Appollis and Evidence Makgopa, each with five.

Chasing Pack with Near Impossible Task

Zwane, at 36, does not represent the future and with his injuries in the last one year, it is hard to see him matching McCarthy and even a place in the AFCON 2025 squad is in doubt as he is still not fit just weeks before the trip to Morocco.

Meanwhile, Mokoena is a defensive midfielder, who reached 50 caps last weekend, and he will need to score so many to get closer to the record, which is nearly impossible given his role in the team, while Zungu last played for Bafana in 2020.

That leaves Foster, Appollis and Makgopa as the players with the best chance to break the record but they are so far behind, meaning McCarthy’s record will stay for much longer before anyone can match, leave alone breaking it.