Benni McCarthy Reveals Why Coaching Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes Never Intimidated Him - ‘They Don’t Know Everything’

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has disclosed the mindset he had when he was hired by English Premier League giants Manchester United.

In July 2022, McCarthy was appointed United’s attacking coach, meaning he was going to work closely with the club’s forwards, who included Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho among others.

The South African legend was given the prestigious role by former manager Erik ten Hag, who was looking to improve the sharpness of his forwards, and thought having a former striker in McCarthy would be ideal for his attacking players.

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McCarthy admits the role took him by surprise and left him with little doubts, having coached in South Africa at Cape Town City and AmaZulu, but used his great mentality and experience to get his messages across.

“I went into Man United knowing that maybe I would be out of my depth because I have coached Cape Town City, AmaZulu and now I am asked to coach top class players at Man United,” McCarthy said on Creamer Media TV.

“That I was just going to learn? That was not my mentality or my mindset…they have asked me to come and do a job. I am going to show them.

“Yeah, they might know a lot of things but they don’t know everything so I can teach them some things that they did not know.”

Feeling confident in his abilities, McCarthy says he found a way to get the best out of the players while he also picked a few things from them.

“That was my mindset going in there, I am not going there to learn, I am there to also make a change and a difference. To improve the situation and learn as much as I can from everything that I am giving there then I take from everybody else as well,” he added.

“Working with your Rashfords, Casemiros; Martinez, Bruno Fernandes, Ronaldo, I went in there knowing that I can teach them something else that they did not know.”

They do not come bigger than Cristiano Ronaldo, regarded as one of the best to ever play the game, but McCarthy felt the five-time Ballon d’Or winner still had plenty to learn from him and for this reason, he was never intimidated coaching him.

“Whether it is Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the best players in the world, I can still teach him something he did not know because I have been on this earth long before him and I have done it before he did it so there is something he can learn from me,” said McCarthy.

“So why must I feel like wow! Worship him because he is Ronaldo so I am here to learn. No, I am here to give back and that was my mentality and that is why I feel I succeeded [at Man United].”

McCarthy left his role at United at the end of his contract in June 2024 before he became Harambee Stars coach in March 2025.