Widely regarded as one of the greatest African footballers of all-time, Samuel Eto’o had an incredible career, scoring over 400 goals in nearly 900 club and country appearances. He played up front for some of the world’s most iconic clubs, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Chelsea. He played in and won two UEFA Champions League finals, both with Barcelona, becoming only the second player to score in two Champions League finals. He is Cameroon’s all-time top scorer and has played in four World Cup tournaments, something very few players achieve. He was named African Footballer of the Year a record-breaking four times.
Born in the Cameroon city of Douala in 1981, Eto’o moved to Spain as a teenager to join Real Madrid. Red-tape saw his career there frustrated, and he was loaned to several clubs before coming to prominence with La Liga side Mallorca, becoming one their record goal-scorers. He attracted the attention of giants Barcelona, who bought him for €24 million in 2004. During the 2005/06 season, Eto’o reached one of many career peaks when he scored six times in Barca’s Champions League campaign, winning Forward of the Year in the process. From 2009, he spent two years with Inter Milan, setting a personal best of 37 goals in one season. A move to Russia’s Anzi Makhachkala saw him become the world’s highest-paid player.
Throughout his playing career, and still today, Eto’o has confronted racism within football, often threatening to leave the pitch when abuse was directed at him and speaking out even when warned not to. All of this marks him out as one of football’s most singular characters.
