Former Amazulu head coach Benni McCarthy FILE - Former Amazulu head coach Benni McCarthy. Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix
Johannesburg — Yaya Toure has backed Benni McCarthy to gain enough experience at Manchester United to help an African country win the World Cup in the near future.
McCarthy is one of the best exports to come out of the continent, following his spells at clubs such as Ajax Amsterdam, FC Porto and Blackburn Rovers.
His passion for the game didn’t allow him to quit after he hung up his boots, as he joined the coaching ranks after completing his Uefa Pro Coaching License.
McCarthy started coaching at Cape Town City, where he won the MTN8 before he was sacked. He then joined AmaZulu, leading the side to the African safari.
He was also sacked at Usuthu early in this year, before, surprisingly, joining English club United as the strikers and positioning coach this campaign.
McCarthy is working under head coach Erik ten Hag, while he’s responsible for coaching players such as the five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
His recent move to Manchester has brought a beam of joy to the continent, while it's also viewed as a step that will open more doors for Africans in Europe.
One of the players who reflects well on the continent is Toure, following his stints with Spanish giants Barcelona and English giants Manchester City.
The Ivory Coast great was a guest at the Fifa Football for Schools programme launch in Johannesburg on Friday. And he spoke glowingly of McCarthy.
“I think it is a huge step for him because it’s important to get a job at an elite club that has a top coach,” the four-time African Footballer of the Year said.
"That coach will give you experience and your vision as a coach is going to get better. Maybe when he stops at United, he can bring the experience to Africa.
“That can put an advantage to our lives so that we are able to compete at the highest level and develop as much as possible. We need the experience.”
Players and coaches are limited from growing and developing at national level compared to club level where they train and play week in and week out.
That’s why Toure believes personnel who suck as much information as possible from their clubs are bound to help their national teams at major tournaments.
“You cannot compare clubs and the national teams,” he said. “At clubs you play week in and week out. And there's the media. So it’s tough and stressful there.
“But national team is different. It's on weekends or after every three months of competitive actions. You are together with the team for only a couple of days.
“If Benni comes back, I’ve seen his records, he's been coaching here and he’s in the top league right, maybe one day he will help us to win the World Cup.”
Toure is one of the coaches that could inspire Africa to the global crown, having started his coaching journey after hanging up his boots at the age of 35 in 2019.
He is currently cutting his coaching teeth at English side Tottenham Hotspur, where he’s helping coach the club’s Under-16 side. He says it was important to empower himself.
“We’ve been complaining, sitting behind the scenes, saying ‘we deserve better’. But life is not easy. People make their preferences on who they want,“ he said.
“For those who are coming behind us, they’ll have a bright future because they’ll be able to refer to those who are ahead of them. And that’s what it is all about.”
IOL Sport
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