A former Premier League goal machine and Champions League winner is now managing Kenya - living in Africa with his beautiful ex-Miss Great Britain finalist wife
Neil Docking and Ben Haslam
11:35, 13 Nov 2025Updated 11:36, 13 Nov 2025
Premier League legend Benni McCarthy met his model wife while filming a Nike advert
View 6 Images
Premier League legend Benni McCarthy met his model wife while filming a Nike advert
Blackburn Rovers pulled off a stunning coup when they signed one of the world's top strikers in 2006 - and it wasn't long before he was charming a stunner of his own.
Benni McCarthy had banged in 58 goals in 124 games at Porto, winning the Champions League in 2004 under managerial legend Jose Mourinho. For the princely sum of £2.5m he swapped Portugal for East Lancashire and with Manchester United legend Mark Hughes at the helm, bagged 24 goals in 50 games in his debut season, including 18 in the Premier League.
The South African striker had previously won the Eredivisie with Ajax and played for Spanish side Celta Vigo, where he met his first wife, Maria Santos, with whom he had three daughters. But in 2007 they separated and the Bafana Bafana hotshot went out scouting for a new partner, who he met while filming a Nike advert in Edinburgh a year later in 2008.
McCarthy, who turned 48 yesterday, November 12, admitted he couldn't keep his eyes off Stacey Munro. He said: "I went there on a shoot and she was one of those pretty girls they have as extras. I couldn’t concentrate on what I was supposed to do."
Scottish beauty Stacey was working as a model at the time and was crowned Miss Edinburgh, before going on to compete in Miss Great Britain.
Miss Great Britain finalists from Scotland including left of centre Stacey Munro, the wife of Premier League legend Benni McCarthy
View 6 Images
Miss Great Britain finalists from Scotland including left of centre Stacey Munro, the wife of Premier League legend Benni McCarthy(Image: PA)
McCarthy fell out with former Rovers manager Sam Allardyce, who labelled him "unprofessional", before he joined West Ham, and things got even worse, with vice-chairman Karren Brady taking shots at his weight as he struggled to reproduce his scoring feats for the Hammers. He then moved back to his native South Africa, playing for the Orlando Pirates, before retiring in 2013.
But off the pitch he was loving life as he moved to Edinburgh - later joining the coaching team at Hibernian - then married Stacey in 2014. She took McCarthy's name as the pair tied the knot in a Scottish ceremony that saw the striker’s friends and family fly in from South Africa.
The now 45-year-old fully embraced the Scottish culture as he donned a kilt for the ceremony, with the couple going on to have two children together.
Benni McCarthy enjoyed a career across Europe
View 6 Images
Benni McCarthy enjoyed a career across Europe including a very successful spell at Blackburn Rovers(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Benni McCarthy married Stacey Munro in 2014
View 6 Images
Benni McCarthy married Stacey Munro in 2014(Image: Instagram / @bennimac17)
Coaching teams in Belgium and South Africa, in 2022 he was then appointed as a first team striker's coach at United, under then manager Erik ten Hag, working with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo as he hit 700 career goals and captain Bruno Fernandes.
McCarthy told MUTV he had grown up as a Red Devils fan, adding: "I am delighted to be here and I hope to make a real difference to United this season. "There is no bigger stage than this. To be here is a privilege and the smallest chance that these players get should be grabbed with both hands.”
Speaking about the impact McCarthy had on the attacking side of his game, Fernandes said: "He was a quality player and is a quality manager. We do many drills, from finishing, headers, many stuff he was really doing when he was playing. It can help us score some goals."
Benni McCarthy was a popular coach with Manchester United's players, with his efforts praised by Bruno Fernandes
View 6 Images
Benni McCarthy's coaching at Manchester United was praised by captain Bruno Fernandes(Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
Benni McCarthy and Stacey Munro celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary last year
View 6 Images
Benni McCarthy and Stacey Munro celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary last year(Image: https://www.instagram.com/staceymccarthy17/)
In the summer of 2024, McCarthy left Carrington when his two-year contract expired as he wanted to become a head coach again. And he and his family moved to Africa earlier this year, when he was appointed Kenya's manager in March.
Since his appointment, McCarthy is said to have focused on raising standards within the Harambee Stars, stressing that selection depends on discipline, consistency and commitment as much as talent.
He said: "You come to the national team, and if you don't have that willingness to work hard, I will send you home. There are other players waiting for that opportunity. Those given a chance must make it count."
McCarthy recorded his first win in charge in June 2025 with a 2–1 friendly victory over Chad, and later guided Kenya to an unbeaten group stage run at the African Nations Championship, finishing with three wins and a draw, before they were knocked out on penalties in the quarter-finals, following a 1-1 draw with Madagascar.
He's been credited with instilling higher levels of professionalism and accountability among players, setting a new bar for the national team, with fans hailing how he has "made Kenyans fall back in love with football".
Article continues below
And he regularly posts pictures of his stunning wife and gorgeous family on Instagram, with Stacey sharing how they are "so proud" of his work with Kenya.