At 45 years old, Benjamin had a prominent career as a professional footballer, spending most of his playing days with German club Hamburger SV while representing Namibia on the international stage.

He notably featured as a defender in Namibia's national team squad during the 2008 African Cup of Nations, earning 32 caps and serving as the team's captain for several years.

After a decade at Hamburg, Benjamin concluded his playing career in Germany with 1860 Munich, transitioning into the club's coaching set-up.

In June 2022, he was appointed as the head coach of the Namibia national team.

"Collin Benjamin is one of the youngest and most talented coaches in the tournament," remarked Namibia and Orlando Pirates midfielder Deon Hotto in an interview with CAF online.

"Having played his entire career at the highest level in Germany, he brings valuable experience to our team. He is an approachable coach, always open to us. Working with him has been a marvelous experience due to his fresh ideas and great personality," Hotto added.

The Namibia team are in the challenging Group E of the Africa Cup of Nations, alongside Mali, South Africa, and Tunisia.

Their group stage campaign will kick off with a match against Tunisia on 16 January, followed by a game against South Africa five days later.

They will conclude the group stage by facing Mali on 24 January.

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