By Mark Gleeson BBC Sport, Cape Town

Stuart Baxter wants Benni McCarthy to commit to South Africa

Benni McCarthy has been warned that he will never become a South African football legend unless he commits himself to playing for Bafana Bafana.

The Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter has told McCarthy that his place in South African football history will not be complete without some top performances for the national team.

The FC Porto striker is set to make his first appearance for South Africa in more than six months when the team plays Burkina Faso in its 2006 World Cup qualifier in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Baxter challenged McCarthy to turn himself into a true great by committing to play for the team in the future.

"You can only be a top player if you play for your country," Baxter said.

"Michael Owen is best known for his goal for England against Argentina in the World Cup (France '98) and Zinedine Zidane for his goals in the World Cup final against Brazil, not his goals for Real Madrid," Baxter pointed out.

"Benni can be a legend but he won't be unless he plays for his country and fulfils his potential.

"I hope we can stop playing these 'who hurt who first' games," he added in a reference to the ongoing spats between McCarthy's manager Rob Moore and the South African Football Association.

McCarthy, who has scored 22 goals in 51 appearances for Bafana Bafana, has twice before 'retired' from international football.

McCarthy is the only South African to have won a European Cup medal after his recent success with FC Porto.

He is also the only Bafana Bafana player to score a hat-trick in an international when he scored all four in a 4-1 win over Namibia in the 1998 African Nations Cup finals.