Benni McCarthy Reveals Impact of Jose Mourinho’s Contribution to His Biography - ‘I Wasn’t Selfish’

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has expressed his delight at having legendary manager Jose Mourinho pen the foreword for his biography.

McCarthy released his highly-awaited biography titled ‘BENNI’ at the start of this month, co-authored by him and veteran football writer and commentator Mark Gleeson, and published by Pan Macmillan South Africa.

The foreword is written by Mourinho, who coached the Harambee Stars boss at Portuguese club FC Porto, and won the 2004 UEFA Champions League together.

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McCarthy believes the biography, which documents his story from the gang-ridden streets of Hanover Park on the Cape Flats to the grandest stages of world football, will change how people view him after a lot was said and written that he did not feel was the true reflection of him.

However, having Mourinho describe him in glowing terms excites the former Cape Town City and AmaZulu coach more, as he feels the legendary coach would never have talked well of him if he was a problematic player as it has been described by some.

“You know, I think a lot of people’s views will change when they hear, you know, what he [Mourinho] actually said, and how I was more than just a football player, you know, I was a humanitarian as well, and the way I conducted myself,” McCarthy told iDiski Times.

“You know that I’ve earned the respect from people, that people didn’t just respect me because I’m a goal scorer, but I was a complete player.

“I was a team player as well. For example, in the Champions League final, if I were an asshole, I would have just said, like, ‘No, I want to play. I’ve got the team to where I was,’ but if I had to be sacrificed, I’d take it, you know, I wasn’t bigger than the team. I wasn’t bigger than anybody.”

McCarthy, who some have described to have a big ego and selfish during his playing days, says that was a wrong perception and is glad that Mourinho set the record straight in his biography.

“If the manager feels that that’s [benching him] probably the best thing to do, and then, yeah, I take it, you know, not happy, but I take it because it’s in the best interest of the team, and I think that’s what was respected more than anything else when it comes to that,” he added.

“And I think that’s why he [Mourinho] will always speak very highly of me, because I wasn’t a selfish player. I didn’t make it about me.”

McCarthy and Mourinho worked together at Porto for one year during the 2023-04 season when the South African legend scored 24 goals as they won the league and Champions League, making him the first and still the only player from his country to win the European trophy.