Benni McCarthy backs Lyle Foster to break his 31-goal Bafana Bafana scoring record

Kenya head coach Benni McCarthy believes Lyle Foster has the quality, personality and presence to become South Africa’s all-time leading goalscorer and erase his name from the national team’s record books.

McCarthy, who holds the record with 31 international goals, has tipped the Houston Dynamo striker to eventually surpass his landmark despite Foster having scored just 10 goals for Bafana Bafana so far.

The former South African international shared his assessment after Kenya held Bafana Bafana to a 2-2 draw in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Orlando Amstel Arena in Soweto on Friday night.

While acknowledging the potential of the 26-year-old forward, McCarthy believes the demands of modern football present additional challenges for strikers, particularly the changing roles of wingers and the reduced supply of traditional crosses into the penalty area.

McCarthy identifies modern football’s problem for strikers

The former Porto and Blackburn Rovers striker argued that the growing preference for inverted wingers has changed how attacking teams create goalscoring opportunities.

According to McCarthy, traditional wingers previously provided strikers with regular deliveries from wide positions, allowing forwards to attack the near and far posts.

However, modern attacking systems often require wingers to cut inside onto their stronger foot rather than deliver crosses, making it harder for centre-forwards to benefit from the service they need.

“Well, listen, it’s not just in South Africa, it’s a worldwide thing because when you look at modern-day football, now most teams play inverted wingers,” McCarthy told journalists.

“So you don’t get crosses anymore, putting it near post for strikers to make that near-post run. It’s difficult when you play a left-footer on the right, or a right-footer playing on the left.

“So where are the crosses going to come from? The strikers keep making movements.”

Drawing on his playing experience alongside former Bafana Bafana attackers Delron Buckley, Shaun Bartlett and Sibusiso Zuma, McCarthy explained how traditional wing play created opportunities for strikers.

“Back in my days, we had Delron Buckley, for example; he was a left-footer.

“Myself, Shaun Bartlett, and Sibusiso Zuma, we had to make sure, you know, when the ball is on the left foot, one goes near post, one goes second post. Wherever that ball lands, one of us is going to get it.”

McCarthy backs Foster to rewrite Bafana Bafana history

Despite the tactical challenges facing modern forwards, McCarthy remains convinced that Foster possesses the qualities required to become South Africa’s most prolific international goalscorer.

The Kenya coach believes the Burnley striker has the physical presence, technical ability and confidence to lead the national team’s attack for years to come.

He also suggested that Foster’s goalscoring potential depends partly on how effectively Bafana Bafana build their attacking play around his strengths.

McCarthy included Mamelodi Sundowns forward Iqraam Rayners in that assessment, insisting that South Africa must ensure their attacking system provides the necessary support for their available strikers.

“But now it’s different, you make a run and then the wingers cut back onto their strong foot to bring it back, you know? So it’s difficult to breed strikers when you play inverted on the wings.

“But listen, Lyle [Foster], he’s finding his footing again. He’s top-notch. I said this a long time ago. I think if there’s a player that’s got the characteristics, that’s got the quality, that’s going to take my name off the record books there, it could be Lyle because he’s got the ability, and he’s got the aura.

“But he needs the service, he needs the team to play for him, you know? And Iqraam Rayners as well. You’ve got to play to the strengths of the strikers that you have; when you don’t play to the strength of your strikers, it becomes difficult for them to score goals,” he concluded.

Foster now has the backing of the man whose record he is chasing, although he still has 21 goals to score to equal McCarthy’s 31-goal landmark before attempting to establish a new record.