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Johannesburg - Who says Benni McCarthy is over-weight, undisciplined and at 32 ready for the soccer scrap heap? Well, most South Africans it would seem.
But on Saturday the gifted, but enigmatic top Bafana Bafana international goalscorer, who was booted out of World Cup contention after making the preliminary group selection, provided some stunning evidence that writing his football epitaph might, in fact, be a little premature.
Coming on after half-time as a West Ham United substitute for Carlton Cole in the 2-0 pre-season warm-up win against Bundesliga club Borrusia Monchengladbach at the Waldstadion in Germany, McCarthy scored what was described as a 51st minute "stunner".
"If Cole's first half goal was good," proclaimed the West Ham web site, "McCarthy's was simply fantastic. He found space on the edge of the penalty area and without a moment's hesitation rifled an unstoppable volley into the corner of the net."
It was a dramatic, overdue first breakthrough goal by McCarthy since joining West Ham from fellow-English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers more than five months ago - and six minutes later McCarthy was desperately close to recording a second goal.
But what might surprise South Africans more than anything during McCarthy's productive 45 minutes on the pitch was that he prevented Monchengladbach from scoring from a free-kick with a clearance off the goalline in the 67th minute - and generally performed creditably with good work on defence.
South African generally will wonder whether this was indeed the same McCarthy whose work rate and general fitness has been questioned during the past two disappointing seasons in the Premier League.
That the cagey McCarthy has an eye for scoring has never been questioned. Now, perhaps, he is out to prove a point as well.
