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News spread around South Africa on Tuesday is that Mamelodi Sundowns could be lining up Bafana Bafana’s all-time top goal-scorer Benni McCarthy during the open window period.
Sundowns may have in their armory a potent strike force led by Katlego Mphela, Nyasha Mushekwi, Richard Henyekane and Mabhudi Khenyeza but an ambitious team like the “Brazilians” will not sniff at the prospect of securing the services of a quality striker.
Especially the likes of the former Blackburn Rovers, Ajax Amsterdam as well as FC Porto marksman if he is available and provided the price is reasonable.
The club president Patrice Motsepe has never hesitated to break the bank for a quality players that were available on the market.
He displayed this when he signed former Coventry City striker Peter Ndlovu and recently enticed former Newcastle United midfielder Matthew Patterson to Chloorkop.
But Sundowns flaboyant spokesperson Alex Shakoane scoffed at the news and poured cold water on the rumour.
Shakoane claims they are not interested in the player and knew nothing about his impending move back to South Africa.
“You know everytime people want to market their players they always link them to Sundowns,” said an exasperated Shakoane when approached for comment.
McCarthy is remembered by most South Africans as the boy wonder who wrote his name with gold letters in the hearts of Mzansi followers when he scored an amazing four goals in a single game for South Africa in a 4-1 whitewash of Namibia at the 1998 African Nations Cup finals in Burkina Faso.
McCarthy is rumored to be seriously contemplating returning to domestic football.
And although Ajax Cape Town as well as Sundowns are said to have been alerted to the possible availability of McCarthy who is said to be at his lowest in terms of confidence at West Ham United, SuperSport cannot be ruled out of the mix especially with their leading striker Anthony Laffor a target of several local and European clubs.
Yet Commercial Director Jose Ferreira denied ever being associated with the all-time South African international leading goalscorer.
“It’s the first time I hear about Benni’s availability and him being linked to us,” said Ferreira.
“I know nothing about his impending move back to South Africa and there is certainly no truth in rumors that we are interested in the player.”
McCarthy is said to be contemplating quitting the English Premiership due to lack of game time at West Ham where he was heavily fined after he was accused of carrying excess weight and ordered to lose a certain number of kilogram or he will be heavily hit in his pocket but despite working his socks off at training, the situation does not seem to improve.
“Mamelodi Sundowns have been alerted of the fact that McCarthy could be available,” said a source close to the player.
“But obviously if there is no possibility of the player going to Sundowns, other clubs might find him an attractive proposition,” added our source of the possibility of a return to the domestic league that discovered the then precocious 18-year old playing for now defunct Seven Stars back in 1996.
He was signed by Ajax Amsterdam where he was groomed and blossomed as an unrivalled finisher in the game and represented South Africa at the African Youth U-20 as well as Fifa World Youth Championships where he performed out of his skin, winning the confidence of the then national senior coach Jomo Sono who selected him for the African Nations Cup finals in 1998.
McCarthy went on to star for Portuguese giants Porto and his two well taken goals that knocked out Manchester United from the UEFA Champions League as he helped Porto to win the prestigious club tournament is still talked about with fondness by many followers, some with a couple of dentures missing and others needing hearing aids for that matter.
The question however is whether McCarthy still has it in him to strike fear in the eyes of defenders and can he still deliver like he used to so effortlessly score while still at Seven Stars before graduating to play his football in Europe?
