JOHANNERSBURG - Kaizer Chiefs boss Kaizer Motaung believes Portugal-based Bafana Bafana striker Benni McCarthy has done enough over the past year to deserve the African Footballer of the Year crown. McCarthy, who plays for Euro- pean champions Porto, is one of the five finalists for this prestigious African accolade. "I might be a little biased but I think Benni stands a very good chance in view of the fact that FC Porto have won the European Champions League and the World Club Championship and he played a crucial role in these achievements. He scored vital goals in the Champions League and was always consistent," Motaung said. McCarthy became the first South African to win a European Champions League winner's medal (following in the footsteps of three-time African Player of the Year winner Abedi Pele) with Porto in 2004 and also won the Portuguese League Championship and Portuguese FA Cup winner's medals. More significantly, he was the top scorer in the Portuguese league in the 2003-2004 season (he also scored the Portuguese Goal of the Year) and is currently second on the Portuguese goal-scoring charts in the 2004-2005 season. His goals - against CSKA Moscow and Chelsea - secured Porto's two key victories that earned the Portuguese side a place in the next round of this prestigious competition. Indeed, the Cape Town-born star will face tough competition from Barcelona's Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o - the reigning African Footballer of the Year. Eto'o has done equally well in Spain but McCarthy could snatch the trophy on his performance in the Uefa Champions League and the World Club Championship. Other finalists are Bolton Wanderers' Nigerian midfield ace Austin "Jay-Jay" Okocha, Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba, who plays for English Premiership club Chelsea, and Togolese Emmanuel Adebayor, who plays for French club Monaco. The list of the finalists will be forwarded to 53 national associations, who will vote for their final three before January 31. http://www.dispatch.co.za/2004/12/30/Sport/abenni.html --

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