South African striker Benny McCarthy, who has two years left on his contract with European champions FC Porto, said on Friday he would like to one day play in the English premiership.
”In South Africa, we start to follow English football very early on. In my country, much more importance is given to English football than South African,” he said in an interview with Portuguese sports daily A Bola.
”I was contaminated by that climate and I dream of playing there,” he said.
McCarthy, who was the Portuguese league’s top scorer last season with 20 goals, said he almost transferred to English side Everton in September but Porto quashed the deal at the last minute.
”It was a huge disappointment. I never imagined I would go through a situation like that,” he said.
The 27-year-old said he struggled at Porto after coach Jose Mourinho left at the end of last season to manage Chelsea, as he was often relegated to the bench, but is once again happy at the club now that he has been put on the pitch.
”Mourinho left and I hit bottom. I never felt worse and so low,” he said.
”I sincerely thought I had no more future at FC Porto and the best I could do is wait patiently until December to pack my bags and move.”
FC Porto’s new coach, Vitor Fernandez, often relegated McCarthy to the bench, just as he had when the two men were at Spanish side Celta Vigo.
But McCarthy once again became a regular fixture after he scored FC Porto’s only goal in the team’s 3-1 Champions League away loss to Chelsea in September. — Sapa-AFP