Johannesburg - Two years after his retirement, Benni McCarthy feels there is more he can offer in the world of football.
He says he wants to become a professional football manager in a few years. More like José Mourinho to be more specific.
Too far-fetched you might think? The former Bafana Bafana international and Orlando Pirates predator begs to differ.
He says he’s been studying Mourinho like a book. After all, it was Mourinho who unleashed the Cape Town-born striker into winning the 2004 Uefa Champions League after he had two unsuccessful seasons at Celta Vigo in Spain, having signed from Ajax Amsterdam.
In the two years he had spent under Mourinho at FC Porto, McCarthy said there was one special principle the “Special One” always implemented on his players - man-management skills. McCarthy says he hopes to implement it on his players once he gets his Pro Licence in the next two years.
“Being in Europe provided me with an opportunity to learn from some of the best coaches in the world and that’s what I believe will set me apart from the rest (former players who turned coaches). Mourinho is one of those I’ve been learning from,” McCarthy says.
“I would love to bring his man-management skills to my style of management.
“Mourinho understands his players on a personal level. And that’s why he is able to get positive results out of them.
“When you are having an off-day as a player, Mourinho would know without you even having to approach him about your situation. Sometimes he would even bench you to give you time to deal with whatever you are going through. That’s the kind of coach he is. I hope to emulate him one day.”
McCarthy then pauses as he brings to mind some of the finer scenarios he had seen Mourinho handle in some awkward situations both on and off the field.
The name of former teammate Ricardo Carvalho comes to mind. Benni smiles as he begins to talk about his former teammate.
“Ricardo Carvalho is a perfect example,” he says.
“For me, he’s one of the best defenders in the world I have ever played with.
“He was exceptional in game situations but the exact opposite when we reported for training. I mean, the worst training partner you can ever find. He was just lazy (at training), and that’s how he was.
“But Mourinho understood his character. Had Carvalho worked under a different manager, his career would have been over a long time ago. Other players would be often shocked that he was always the first name on the team list and how he was able to be awarded Man of the Match honours each time we played.
“The answer is simple: Mourinho knew how to get the best out of him.
“And that’s what I want to do when I become a coach. I want to understand my players on a personal level. That’s what helps coaches get positive results out of their players. Tactics always comes in later in game situations. (As a coach) you need a team that will play for you, otherwise you are doomed.”
But McCarthy understands that it’s not only popularity among players that will see him reach the heights he had achieved as a player plying his trade in top-flight football, but that you also need football knowledge to go with it.
He says one needs to be tough to survive as a footballer, and it gets even tougher as a coach.
”You need guts and will-power,” he says, recalling how he resuscitated his football career in Europe, after having been benched for two consecutive seasons under his then coach Victor Fernández at Celta Vigo.
“That experience almost destroyed my career,” he confesses.
“But I knew I was not the one at fault.
“I knew I had to continue working hard in order to keep myself fit just in case he opted to play me. But it never happened. The truth is, you are not going to be everybody’s favourite and so I knew I had to continue working hard until I got my chance. That’s how I saw it. That’s what kept me going through that period. Things started working out for me when I finally joined Porto. And the rest, is history.”
Saturday Star