Bafana Bafana's leading all time goal scorer Benni McCarthy has seemingly handed over the baton to striker Lyle Foster, on whom he feels Bafana Bafana should pin their hopes in terms of goals.
McCarthy, who still leads the nations' scoring charts with 31 goals has been vocal about his admiration for Foster, even going as far as saying that he would fit in at Manchester United.
It is that same faith that has seen McCarthy back the Burnley forward to help coach Hugo Broos' side to the Africa Cup of Nations as well as the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
"For Burnley he's done well so far. He had his Premier League debut where he did okay. He had some major challenges which he overcame and it looks like he's back now. I'm in contact with Lyle so we do speak a lot and he seems to have his head screwed on right and his feet firm on the ground and he wants to succeed and I think with that Burnley team they can push again to get promotion to the Premier league and he will play a massive part in that," McCarthy told the On the Whistle podcast.
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"He's a player that's super important for Bafana in what they want to achieve whether it's qualifying for the World Cup or qualification for AFCON and winning it, you need a player like Lyle because in my time we had loads of players that were playing in the biggest leagues in the world and when we go back we had a pool of players that came from different countries and different clubs so it elevates the national team," he said.
"When you have only one or two in the top leagues in Europe, it kind of pulls you back. But with the right coaching you can achieve something special because this crop of players at the moment is a good generation, so the right coach could help the country qualify for a World Cup that they're so desperate for, " he added.
Read: McCarthy's Desire For African Adventure
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