Benni McCarthy’s Ex-Team-Mate Reveals Personal Traits That Make Harambee Stars Coach Tick

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy. Photo: Imago

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Harambee Stars have avoided a major setback after Orlando Pirates appointed Abdeslam Ouaddou as head coach, ending speculation linking Benni McCarthy

Benni McCarthy’s Ex-Team-Mate Reveals Personal Traits That Make Harambee Stars Coach Tick

Joel Omotto 12:00 - 19.06.2025

A former Orlando Pirates star has opened up about some key personal traits that make Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy a guaranteed success.

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has been lauded as a tactician who does not only get the best out of his players but also those who work with him.

McCarthy is in his third stint as a head coach having previously handled Cape Town City and AmaZulu back home in South Africa before his spell as Manchester United’s attacking coach.

He is just three-and-a-half months into his role as Kenya national team head coach and one of his former team-mates has revealed why Harambee Stars fans should be excited about him given how he likes to do his job.

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Speaking over McCarthy’s suitability for the Orlando Pirates job, former South Africa winger Mark Mayambela, who played with the Harambee Stars tactician at the South African giants, gave insights into his personality that makes him tick.

What Makes Benni McCarthy Stand Out?

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy. (Photo Courtesy)

“He is not a one man show, I remember at [Cape Town] City, he used to take sessions and give other guys [his assistants] also a chance to coach,” Mayembela said on SoccerBeat.

“It was not only about him and with everything that he has achieved, he is still very humble as a guy and he likes to empower other people.

“As a coach, he is a serial winner and as a player, he was also a serial winner, he used to do extra training at 34, 35 years old, finishing. Someone we looked up to and someone who can bring this kind of mindset to our players.”

McCarthy has been lauded for his preference of attacking football, something that saw him overachieve at both Cape Town City, where he won their last trophy, and AmaZulu, who he guided to their best-ever league finish, and there is hope that he will have a similar impact in Kenya.

He, however, continues to be linked to the Pirates job which became vacant following the departure of now Al Ahly coach Jose Riveiro in May.