Harambee Stars Coach Benni McCarthy Shares Personal AFCON U20 Story That Should Inspire Rising Stars Players into Success

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has opened up about how playing at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations by sheer luck ended up being the turning point in his career.

McCarthy enjoyed a great playing career at some of Europe’s top teams being Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam, Celta Vigo in Spain, Portuguese club FC Porto as well as Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League.

He left his country South Africa at a young age to move to Europe but that would never have happened if he did not get a chance to play at the 1997 U20 AFCON with South Africa.

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“When I was playing for my local club, we played a friendly against the South Africa U20 national team preparing to go to the Africa U20 Nations Cup,” McCarthy told Sporty TV.

“When we played them, we lost 4-3 and we were just a local amateur club and we lost 4-3 against the national team and I scored a hat-trick in 15 minutes and they said ‘oh my God that kid is not bad’ and they said yeah he is younger than the U20s.”

McCarthy, then coming from a humble background in Cape Town, got an invitation to join the AFCON-bound team and he grabbed his chance with both hands.

“The coach then spoke with my coach and that is how I kind of got scouted and two weeks later, I was playing with the U20s at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and ended up being top scorer and best player of the tournament as we lost in the final against Morocco,” he added.

“Scouts from Ajax showed the most interest and that is how I got signed by Ajax Amsterdam and my journey really began.”

McCarthy had started his career in 1995 with Seven Stars in South Africa before joining Cape Town Spurs, and in 1997, after impressing at the U20 AFCON, he joined Ajax Amsterdam aged 20.

He played at Ajax for two seasons, managing 21 goals in 48 games, and won a league and two Dutch cups before he was sold to Spanish club Celta Vigo.

His story will perhaps serve as an inspiration to Rising Stars players who also featured at the just-concluded U20 AFCON in Egypt where McCarthy’s South Africa avenged that loss in 1997 by beating Morocco in the final to win their first-ever continental title.

Kenya were knocked out at the group stage but put in a gallant performance and there were a number of players who left an impression and hope to secure moves to teams in Kenya and abroad to further their careers.