on Saturday McCarthy will oversee his first cup final as a coach, when The Citizens take on SuperSport United in the MTN8 decider at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The most notable of his 12 cup finals was undoubtedly his 2004 UEFA Champions League final triumph with Portuguese giants FC Porto, beating French outfit Monaco 3-0 under the guidance of Jose Mourinho.
The 39-year-old’s first cup final appearance came in the Netherlands back in 1998, when Ajax Amsterdam beat PSV 5-0 in the KNVB Cup, coming on as a late substitute in the 87th minute.
In Spain, McCarthy scored for Celta Vigo as they beat Zenit St. Petersburg 4-3 on aggregate in the 2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup final, which was the play-off tournament for Champions League qualification.
In 2003, following his mid-season move from Celta to Porto, the former Bafana Bafana striker was unable to feature as the Dragons lifted the UEFA Cup, for which he was cup-tied.
His move to the English Premier League in 2006 saw him fall short of several cup final appearances with both Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United, before coming home to join Orlando Pirates.
With the Buccaneers, McCarthy missed out on the 2011 MTN8 triumph due to a red-card suspension, but lifted the Telkom Knockout as the club completed their second treble in succession.
Reaching his maiden cup final in his first managerial job is already a huge achievement, and naturally the City mentor will lean on his decorated playing experience in the high-stakes showdown with Matsatsantsa.