Born on this day is former Sunderland loanee Benjani. The Zimbabwe international arrived in 2010 after being surplus to requirements at Manchester City, but failed to make any sort of impact on Wearside.
The forward first came to England in 2006, with Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp splashing £4 million on Benjani. He got off to a poor start, scoring no goals in his first 14 games. However, he became a cult hero amongst Pompey fans for his work rate and bringing the best out of others. His first goal finally came in a 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic which saved Portsmouth from relegation.
In September 2007, he scored a hat trick in a 7-4 goal fest against Reading. At one point, he was the Premier League top scorer which caught the eye of Sven Goren-Eriksson. A fee was agreed, but bizarrely Benjani fell asleep at the airport, meaning he’d missed two planes to Manchester! It meant he couldn’t seal the deal before the end of deadline day, but Pompey had already signed a certain Jermaine Defoe as his replacement.
The transfer was finalised a few days later, and Benjani’s wages were reportedly £50,000 per week! He had the dream debut at City, scoring a header in a 2-1 win against rivals Manchester United. His first goal at the City of Manchester Stadium was against former club Portsmouth, but the striker refused to celebrate out of respect for Pompey fans.
When Mancini took over at Man City in 2009, it was pretty clear Benjani’s days were numbered. He arrived on Wearside in 2010, although once again the transfer was finalised after deadline day had passed. The club blamed a “communications network” error, and the Premier League confirmed that the paperwork had been completed in time.
Benjani made his debut for the Lads in an entertaining 1-1 draw with Wigan Athletic, along with Alan Hutton. It’s fair to say that the pair’s loan spells were almost complete opposites, with Hutton becoming a fan favourite in a short time. Benjani’s one and only start for Steve Bruce’s men was in a 3-1 win over Birmingham City, but he was unable to nail down a place in the side. He made seven other appearances, all off the bench. The forward never scored a goal, and was a major flop.
Later in Benjani’s career, the striker played for Blackburn before returning to Pompey. He eventually retired in 2014 after a brief stint at South African side Bidvest Wits.
