Former Orlando Pirates forward Benni McCarthy opens up on failed Chelsea FC move, 'I didn't put up a fight because...'

Benni McCarthy's career as a footballer included a stint in the English Premier League, where he turned out for Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United.

But he had an opportunity to move to Chelsea FC from Blackburn, and a move did not materialise. 

At the Blues, he would have been reunited with manager Jose Mourinho, with whom he won the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League at FC Porto.

McCarthy has shared his ambitions when he was in the English Premier League although he did not realise his dream of turning out for a league giant.

“For me, it was like my ambition was to play amazingly and then get drafted by Chelsea or Man United, hopefully Man United, but a Champions League team and a team that wants to win and challenge for the Premier League,” McCarthy said on CapeTalk as per KickOff.

"I didn't put up a fight because I respect the club and they held to their end of the bargain saying if a Champions League team comes in, if your old boss come and want you and comes for you, they're not going to stand in your way, but it must be lucrative for the club,” said McCarthy.

“So, if you bought me for 2.5 million and you get a chance to sell me for 22 million, how is that not lucrative enough for you? You make 10 times more than what you bought me for. You understand? 

“He [Sam Allardyce, then Blackburn manager] becomes critical about your weight and that, of course, I didn't want to be there, and we know how English media works and operates with the leaks inside the dressing room. So that story stems from the period there.”

However, while McCarthy failed to play for one of the giants in England, he managed to work as a forward coach at Manchester United long after he retired as a player.

The stint at Old Trafford spruced up his reputation as a coach, and he is now currently in his first national team job as Kenya manager.