Kaizer Chiefs legend Fabian McCarthy isn't surprised by his son Aden McCarthy's blossoming at Amakhosi, narrating why he thinks the 21-year-old defender was already better than him.
Aden is tipped to be one of the breakout stars in the division in the new season, having shown a lot of promise during the preseason for Chiefs.
I see him as being far better than me. When I was his age, I wasn't even close to the level he's at now. Obviously, him growing up in an academy structure moulded him.
— Fabian McCarthy, Kaizer Chiefs legend
The talented centre-back came through Chiefs' development ranks, earning promotion to the senior side in July 2022. Aden's only top-flight appearance to date came in Chiefs' penultimate league game against Polokwane City last season.
“I am not surprised by Aden's rise, but I am just thankful that he got an opportunity and now he's working even harder. He's a focused, determined lad. I think he's in a good space ... he's happy after having a good preseason,” Fabian told Sowetan.
“I see him as being far better than me. When I was his age, I wasn't even close to the level he's at now. Obviously, him growing up in an academy structure moulded him. He's definitely better than me, but he still has to prove it. He knows what he wants from the game and if he's just going to respect the game, on and off the field, the game will be good to him.”
Fabian, 48, who was a no-nonsense defender during his heyday, made over 120 appearances for Amakhosi between 2003 and 2008. The retired defender, who also turned out for Mamelodi Sundowns and Bloemfontein Celtic among other sides, said he never really noticed that Aden was going to follow in his footsteps when he was younger, though his passion for football was always evident.
“When he was growing I didn't see that he was going to emulate me, but he always loved football. Whenever he saw something round when he was a baby, he wanted to kick it, be it a potato in the kitchen or an onion ... even stones in the streets, he used to kick [them],” Fabian stated.
“I took him for trials at Chiefs and after two sessions, they signed him for the Under-15 team in 2018. He's been growing nicely since then. He is in the environment he's familiar with.”
Fabian is right-footed, so where did Aden inherit this “educated left foot”?
“Aden took this left foot from my mother's younger brother, who's late now. People always say to me that Aden plays identically to that uncle of mine. I never had a chance to watch him play. He's blessed to have that left foot, very educated,” Fabian revealed.
Did you know?
Fabian has another son, Austin, playing for Chiefs' Under-15 team.
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