Collin Benjamin (born 3 August 1978) is a Namibian professional football coach and a former player who played as a midfielder. He is the head coach of the Namibia national football team. He spent most of his professional career with Hamburger SV while representing Namibia at international level.[2]
 Benjamin at practice with 1860 Munich in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 August 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Windhoek, South West Africa | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Namibia (head coach) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–1999 | Civics Windhoek | ||
| 1999 | TuS Germania Schnelsen | 9 | (3) |
| 2000 | FC Elmshorn 1920 | 28 | (4) |
| 2001–2011 | Hamburger SV | 146 | (13) |
| 2011–2012 | 1860 Munich | 18 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1999–2012 | Namibia | 32 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2018–2021 | Namibia (assistant) | ||
| 2022– | Namibia | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Benjamin represented Namibia at the 2008 African Cup of Nations, earning 32 caps; he captained the team for several years. Benjamin was known for his speed and was mainly used for wing play as a defender.
He was named as the head coach of the Namibia national team in June 2022, succeeding Bobby Samaria.[3]Shina Oludare (15 June 2022). "Collin Benjamin: Ex- Hamburger SV defender named as new Namibia coach". Goal.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
After his 10 years at Hamburg Benjamin ended his playing career in Germany at 1860 Munich, where he then spent time in the club's coaching set-up.
Benjamin, who won 41 caps for Namibia and captained his country, said he was up to the "daunting" challenge of coaching the Brave Warriors - but would require "resources to accomplish the task ahead" of him.
Namibia began their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 1–1 draw against Burundi in neutral Johannesburg earlier in June 2022.
In 2024, Benjamin led Namibia Brave warriors to its first victory record and reaching round of 16 after 26 years in the AFCON 2023 Cup of Nation in the Ivory Coast.[4]
Honours
edit- DFB-Ligapokal winner: 2003
Aside from representing Hamburg and 1860 Munich during his active days, Benjamin remains the only Namibian to play in the Uefa Champions League.
Managerial statistics
editAs of 19 November 2024
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||
| Namibia | 14 June 2022 | Present | 33 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 23 | 34 | −11 | 24.24 |
Note: win or lose by penalty shoot-out is counted as the draw in time.
References
edit- ^ "Player Profile". TSV 1860 Munich. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
- ^ "Benjamin, Collin" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
- ^ "Benjamin appointed Namibia coach". Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ Schutz, Helge (1 February 2024). "History makers return home". The Namibian. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
External links
edit- Collin Benjamin at fussballdaten.de (in German)
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