Cape Town City boss John Comitis expressed his delight at securing the services of Benni McCarthy as the club’s new head coach, likening him to Real Madrid mentor Zinedine Zidane.

The Bafana Bafana legend was unveiled as the new Citizens coach on Tuesday morning, following the departure of Eric Tinkler to SuperSport United. Comitis is adamant that the all-time Bafana top-scorer is the right man for the job.

‘The prodigal son is back. I can’t stop smiling,’ he told reporters.

‘With every obstacle in life, there’s always something around the corner for you. I always believe in that, and I couldn’t have scripted this better than the way it’s turned out.

‘I didn’t take very long to decide who would be at the helm and who could take us through to continue this legacy we’ve started.

‘Cape Town City Football Club is extremely ambitious; it represents the entire city, across all borders, and I couldn’t have found a better fit than getting Benni McCarthy himself to take us to the next stage, and the next level,’ he added.

Having played a part in unearthing McCarthy at Seven Stars as a teenager over two decades ago, Comitis was nostalgic when talking about Benni’s appointment, in addition to backing the former Orlando Pirates man in his first stint as a coach.

‘McCarthy’s history is well-documented; his first-ever game in the PSL was for Cape Town Spurs, where I was the chairman.

‘I remember him as a 17-year-old, who left very quickly to race the pitches of Europe over a period of a decade.

‘For him to be back here today is very significant for us as a club, because I think what he saw was something real, something that can change the lives of Capetonians and set a legacy for the years to come.

‘Benni ticks all the boxes, and is the right man for this job.

‘Real Madrid took a leap of faith with Zidane, and that gave me more reason to believe I’ve made the absolutely perfect decision for this club,’ he concluded.

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