Benni McCarthy, 47, is clear about the next step in his coaching journey, having gained invaluable experience across various roles. His early days were as an assistant coach at Hibernian and St Truiden in Europe, to head coaching roles at Cape Town City and AmaZulu.
McCarthy has steadily built his career. His time at Manchester United as part of Erik ten Hag's coaching staff further refined his tactical knowledge and leadership skills, exposing him to the highest level of football management.
Having "paid his school fees" and gained experience in different football cultures, McCarthy is now specific about the kind of job he wants.
He prefers a senior managerial role where he can make an impact, combining his tactical insight, leadership skills, and the lessons learned from his diverse coaching career. Whether it's in Europe or elsewhere, McCarthy is confident that he is ready for the right opportunity to continue his growth and deliver success.
"I think you have to learn to walk before you can start in the sprint race, and I think I've crawled my way in and that's where I did my coaching badges, that was me crawling just because I played the game at the level that not many South Africans have played, that doesn't make me an expert in taking the experience from playing to coaching, but I went and educated myself, started right at the bottom and then worked my way up 'till I got my pro license which was a period of five years of my life that I dedicated to going and educating myself in the coaching way as much as I know on the field, what it takes to be a player," he told journalists.
Read: Chiefs Coach: They Will Make Some Mistakes
"But as a coach now, I also know and I'm still learning, so I've done that and I became an assistant coach in Belgium. I worked in Scotland with Celtic and Hibs, just learning my trade and learning from the coaches that I had and then I got my opportunity at Cape Town City, and that was also me crawling because I was a rookie coach and it was my first time on the job as a head coach and it was okay. There were a lot of things that I didn't do well, but it's part of learning and then at AmaZulu, what I've learned from my experience at Cape Town City, I took with me to AmaZulu, and also, I made mistakes. But I also thought my journey into becoming the type of coach that I want to be, I was edging ever closer to that. So yeah, so that was me now at the bottom feeding. And the Manchester United opportunity came and that's, yeah. Now, when you're in the elite category, and how many South Africans can ever say that you even dream of having such an opportunity? So, I did that. Yes, I wasn't the head coach, but I was part of the technical team that had to change the club's fortunes and we did that to some degree.
"Now, I think about what I've learned, what I've gained, the experience with the calibre of players that I've worked with. I think it will be a crime if I go back now all the way to the bottom. So I think my standards that I set now is that level that you want to work with, that level of players where the job that you go into, you become almost what Arsenal did under Arsene Wenger. I want to become invincible. I want to manage a team now and I want to have consistency, not just for when you play the games that matters, but every game, even if it's friendly matches. I want to coach players. I want to have a team that has that mentality, friendly games are like cup finals, you know?
"So, so that's the standards that I set. So that's what I wanted. That's what I'm going to get - I'm sure of that."
McCarthy is no longer just a former player; he is a manager with a clear vision for his future and a passion for developing teams and players to their full potential. The next chapter in his coaching career promises to be an exciting one, as he searches for a project that aligns with his ambitions.
Read: Former Sundowns Winger Surfaces At Pirates
