Benni McCarthy retires at 35

South Africa’s all-time leading scorer Benni McCarthy has confirmed that he is retiring from football.

In a statement on the Premier Soccer League website, McCarthy, 35, said: “Football has been good to me – it has provided special moments and enabled me to be in a position to have improved the lives of my family members.

“For that, I am most grateful.”

He has been playing for Orlando Pirates since leaving West Ham in 2011.

McCarthy, who is a native of Cape Town, has played in the top leagues in the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and England. The Eredivisie with Ajax, the Portuguese title and 2004 Champions League with FC Porto under Jose Mourinhoa are some of the trophies he acquired along the way.

Although he was dropped from the final squad when the country hosted the 2010 World Cup, McCarthy scored goals for Bafana Bafana at the 1998 and 2002 tournaments.

Following a short stint in the English Premier League, where he played for Blackburn and West Ham, he returned to South Africa to join the Soweto giant Orlando Pirates in 2011. During his time with the Pirates, he was part of four victorious campaigns in 2012.

McCarthy will be drawing curtains on seventeen years of an illustrious career which saw him become South Africa’s leading scorer with 31 goals in 80 games.

Source: BBC Sport