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McCarthy looks for home comforts
Benni McCarthy has returned home to Cape Town and hinted that he would like to stay in South Africa.
McCarthy, released by West Ham in April, is currently a free agent and has started preseason training with Ajax Cape Town, for whom he played 14 years ago, when the club was formed.
His career has since taken him to Ajax Amsterdam, Celta Vigo, Porto, Blackburn Rovers and, finally, West Ham, but after 15 years on the road he is back in Cape Town.
"This is where I learned my trade and it's the place which made me the person I am today," McCarthy said. "I had a nice adventure in Europe but I would consider moving back home because this is where I feel still very loved, and obviously my mom and family is home."
McCarthy, 33, is still South Africa's leading goal-scorer but has spent the last few years battling weight issues and his lack of fitness rather than finding the back of the net. He was not included in Bafana Bafana's 23-man World Cup squad last year and only made two starts for West Ham last season. In 14 appearances, he did not score once.
The former Porto Golden Boot winner said his lack of form coincided with a lack of motivation and he has only just rediscovered his inspiration.
"There was a period where I lost that passion for football a little bit and got distracted somehow," he said, "Just being back now I saw the fun side of football again, and it's probably because I'm home in Cape Town and the sun's shining in the middle of July."
For all its seasonal joys, playing football in Cape Town is unlikely to yield the same economic benefits as playing in Europe, but McCarthy said that he has other priorities now. "I've earned a nice living throughout the years, so for me it's not really about the money," he said. "It's about wanting to enjoy myself and I think I can enjoy myself if I can come back to Cape Town."
He also cited family responsibility as the reason for not pursuing a deal further afield. "Do you have the energy to go to America and start over? Do you want to go to Saudi Arabia, or do you come back home to Cape Town? Of the three, think for yourself, 'Which is the best?' My mom is here, and that's probably the biggest thing in my head. I've been away 15 years, which is almost half my life."
Having spent so much time away, McCarthy has not been able to give as much back to the community he came from as he would have liked and feels this is the opportunity to do so.
"What I've learned is that I can give back and just inspire some of the younger kids to see that if Benni comes from Hanover Park, where things were hard, it was a gangster area, 'nobody makes it from there'... then here I come and I make a good living for myself then there's a lesson there." Despite his obvious desire to return home, there have been no concrete discussions with administrators at Ajax yet. On Wednesday, George Comitis, chief executive of Ajax Cape Town, told reporters that McCarthy was not looking for a permanent home at the club.
"Benni would be good for any club. We've offered him the chance to train but it's quite clear that he is looking for an overseas club," he said.
McCarthy sees things a little differently. "I'm going to train for a week with them, and if I still feel that this is what I want to do then who knows what might happen," he said.
Ajax finished second in the league last season, losing out to champions Orlando Pirates on goal difference.
