FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template

The rise of Benni McCarthy from South African second division footballer to African sporting celebrity reads more like fiction than fact.

When he starred at the 1997 African youth championships, Dutch club Ajax swooped and took the tall, thin striker most South Africans had never heard of to Europe in a one million dollar deal. Although first-team appearances for the Amsterdam club have mainly been as a second-half substitute, Benni began a recent match and scored a hat-trick.

Largely ignored by previous South Africa coach Clive Barker, who questioned his loyalty to Bafana Bafana (The Boys), Cape Town-born McCarthy was given his big break when Jomo Sono took temporary charge this year. Unlucky not to find the net during a shock regional championship loss in Namibia, Benni exacted full revenge by scoring four times within 13 minutes against the same opposition in the African Nations Cup.

He finished the tournament as joint leading scorer with Egyptian veteran Hossam Hassan on seven goals and was voted the outstanding player of the 16-nation event. Warned by national coach Philippe Troussier to keep his feet on the ground, the 20-year-old responded with a series of goals for the Dutch champions.

A fan of Brazilian superstar Ronaldo and Liberian George Weah, Benni admits he misses his parents and South African food, but loves the choice of clothes and CDs in Amsterdam.