Samuel Eto'o

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6 Mar 2024

Samuel Eto'o

Samuel Eto'o Fils, born on March 10, 1981, is a Cameroonian football administrator and former player currently serving as the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation. He holds the remarkable achievement of winning the African Player of the Year a record four times in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010.

Displaying early signs of talent, Eto'o made a move to Real Madrid at the age of 16. Faced with strong competition in his position, he underwent several loan spells before permanently joining Mallorca in 2000, where he set a club record by scoring 70 goals. His outstanding performance earned him a transfer to Barcelona in 2004, where he netted 130 goals in five seasons and established himself as the African player with the most appearances in La Liga.

Playing a pivotal role in Barcelona's attack, he contributed to winning La Liga three times and was a crucial part of the team that secured the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final, with Eto'o scoring in the decisive match. He also formed a formidable front three with Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry, winning the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final, with Eto'o once again finding the net in the final. Notably, he became the second player in history to score in two UEFA Champions League finals. During his time at Barcelona, Eto'o finished third for the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2005 and was twice included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2005 and 2006.

Moving to Inter Milan for the 2009–10 season, Eto'o achieved the rare feat of winning two European continental trebles consecutively, following his earlier triumphs with Barcelona. He stands as the fourth player in Champions League history, after Marcel Desailly, Paulo Sousa, and Gerard Piqué, to secure the trophy in two consecutive years with different teams. After brief stints with Anzhi Makhachkala, Chelsea, Everton, and Sampdoria, Eto'o rediscovered his prolific form in the Süper Lig with Antalyaspor, scoring 44 goals in 76 league games. In 2015, he was honored with the Golden Foot Award.

A vital member of the Cameroon national team, Eto'o contributed to winning the Gold Medal at the 2000 Olympics and the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000 and 2002. He represented Cameroon in four World Cups and six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. Eto'o holds the all-time leading scorer title in the Africa Cup of Nations, with 18 goals, and is Cameroon's all-time leading scorer and third most capped player, boasting 56 goals in 118 caps.Eto'o officially announced his retirement from international football in August 2014.

Real Madrid

Having undergone training at the Kadji Sports Academy in Cameroon, Eto'o commenced his journey with Real Madrid's youth academy in 1997. However, due to his status as a minor, he was restricted to training with Real Madrid B. Unfortunately, Real Madrid B faced relegation to the third tier, Segunda División B, where non-EU players were not permitted. Consequently, Eto'o was loaned to the second division side Leganés for the 1997–98 season.Despite making 30 appearances for the club, he only managed to score four goals. At the conclusion of the 1998–99 season, he returned to Real Madrid.In January 1999, Eto'o was loaned out once again, this time to Espanyol. However, his stint with Espanyol was brief, as he made only one appearance for the club, featuring in a Copa del Rey match against Real Valladolid.

Mallorca

In the subsequent season, during the winter transfer window, Eto'o made a move to La Liga side Mallorca on loan. During his loan spell, he showcased his goal-scoring prowess by netting six goals in 19 games. Following the season's conclusion, Eto'o parted ways with Real Madrid, finalizing a permanent deal with Mallorca for a club record fee of 4.4 million. In his second season with Mallorca, he significantly elevated his performance, scoring 11 goals and drawing attention from across the league.

Mateo Alemany, the President of Mallorca, praised Eto'o's playing style, stating, I doubt if there is any other player in the world who would please the fans more at this moment. Eto'o himself reflected on his burgeoning success, expressing his contentment with Mallorca: "I like it here in Mallorca; I have always been well looked after, the fans appreciate me and I also have a contract that runs until 2007.

Eto'o also left his mark in two consecutive away victories against his former club Real Madrid. The first encounter resulted in a resounding 1-5 victory, marking the only home loss for Real Madrid in the 2002-03 La Liga season, a campaign they ultimately won. The second meeting concluded with a 2-3 result, thwarting Real's attempt at securing back-to-back La Liga titles.

Barcelona

From 2004 to 2007, Samuel Eto'o experienced significant career milestones, marked by a transfer to Barcelona, winning the Pichichi Trophy, and securing his first Champions League title.Eto'o left Mallorca as the club's all-time leading domestic league scorer with 54 goals when he joined Barcelona in the summer of 2004 for a transfer fee of 24 million. The transfer involved complex negotiations with Mallorca and Real Madrid, where initially, Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez considered buying back Eto'o's full transfer rights. However, the Barcelona deal proved lucrative enough to prompt the sale, given Real Madrid's full quota of three non-EU players.

His debut for Barcelona took place in the season opener against Racing de Santander on August 29, 2004. After Barcelona secured the 2004–05 La Liga title, Eto'o found himself in the spotlight during a festive party at Camp Nou, where he passionately chanted, Madrid, cabrón, saluda al campeón. The Royal Spanish Football Federation fined Eto'o 12,000 for his comments, leading to his subsequent apology to Real Madrid. Despite the apology, the head of the Real Madrid fan club federation remained unimpressed, stating that Eto'o left much to be desired as a person. In June 2005, Eto'o signed an improved contract with Barcelona.

Eto'o, after missing out on the previous year's Pichichi trophy, secured the award in the 2005-06 season, outscoring Valencia's David Villa. His 26th goal of the season against Athletic Bilbao on May 20, 2006, sealed the honor. In Barcelona's run to the 2005–06 Champions League title, Eto'o contributed six goals. His notable performance in the final against Arsenal, where he scored the game-tying goal after Jens Lehmann's early dismissal, led Barcelona to a 2–1 victory. Eto'o received the UEFA Best Forward of the Year award for his contributions to the European campaign.

The season also saw Eto'o win an unprecedented third consecutive African Player of the Year award. In his acceptance speech, he dedicated the achievement to all the children of Africa. Additionally, he earned a spot in the FIFPro World XI for the second straight year and finished third in the FIFA World Player of the Year voting, becoming only the second African footballer after George Weah to make it into the top three.

However, the 2006-07 season started on a challenging note for Eto'o as he suffered a meniscus injury in his right knee during a Champions League group stage match against Werder Bremen on September 27, 2006. Initially expected to keep him out for two to three months, the recovery time extended to five months after the operation. Eto'o resumed training with Barcelona in early January 2007.