South African football legend and former Manchester United coach, Benni McCarthy has sent a message to young starlet Emile Witbooi, who is currently on trial at Chelsea.
The 16-year-old Cape Town City prodigy traveled to London in early November to undergo a three-week trial with the Premier League giants. His impressive performances for South Africa's under-17 team earned him this prestigious opportunity.
McCarthy believes that Witbooi has been presented with a golden opportunity at the perfect stage of his career, as he begins to fully grasp the intricacies of the game.
He urges the young talent to approach this trial with determination, treating it as a life-changing experience.
McCarthy says Witbooi must know that it's a “matter of life and death” as he’s at the best league in the world, where every player aspires to be.
However, he also emphasised that even if things don't work out at Chelsea, Witbooi's exposure to such a high-level environment will undoubtedly open doors to other opportunities in the future.
BENNI MCCARTHY’S ADVICE TO EMILE WITBOOI
“If you’re that age, that’s the perfect age to break into the system. So I really hope, in his head, he should be thinking, ‘This is make or break for me!,” said McCarthy in an interview with iDiski Times.
“If you are on trials at Chelsea FC, and Chelsea is one of the top teams in the Premier League, top five teams in the Premier League, and that’s massive, but it’s worldwide you know, the players that have played there, and you’re not
going to get a bigger and a better first opportunity than Chelsea.
“So he’s got to go and treat it as ‘This is life or death’, ‘Make it or break it’.
“Yes, you’ll get opportunities to play elsewhere if you don’t make it at Chelsea, it’s not the end of the road — but in his mind, he should treat it like it is the end of the world, like there’s nothing else after this.
“Because, ja, nothing is going to be that big ever at his age.”
