Samuel Eto'o

Samuel Eto'o

Personal information
Full name	Samuel Eto'o Fils
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	FC Barcelona
Number	9
Youth career
	Kadji Sports Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1997–2000	Real Madrid
1997–1998	→ Leganés (loan)
1999	→ Espanyol (loan)
2000	→ Mallorca (loan)
2000–2004	Mallorca
2004–	FC Barcelona
International career‡
1996–	Cameroon
Medal record Representing Cameroon Men's Football 2000 Sydney Team Competition
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:51, 4 April 2009 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10:29, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Samuel Eto'o Fils (born 10 March 1981 in Douala) is a Cameroonian footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish La Liga club FC Barcelona. He is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations, with sixteen goals, and is also the record holder in number of appearances by an African in La Liga. He is currently the 4th highest goalscorer in Barcelona's history and the only member of the current squad to be in the top 10.

Club career

Real Madrid

Eto'o joined Real Madrid in 1997, but he could only train with Real Madrid B, as he was still a minor. Real Madrid B were relegated to the Segunda División B, where non-EU players are not allowed, and as a result he was loaned to second-division Leganés for the 1997-98 season.

Mallorca

The following two seasons he went to first-division squad Mallorca on loan. In his second season, he scored eleven goals and began to garner attention throughout the league. Mallorca club president Mateo Alemany said of his style of play: "I doubt if there is any other player in the world who would please the fans more at this moment."

At the end of the season Eto'o left Real Madrid, signing a permanent deal with Mallorca for a club record £4.4 million fee. He commented on his rise to stardom, "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." He returned the fans' appreciation when he donated €30,000 in meals to travelling Mallorca supporters who made the journey to the Copa del Rey final against Recreativo de Huelva in 2003. Mallorca won the match 3–0 with Eto'o scoring two late goals to seal the victory. However, his volatile attitude resulted in several off-pitch incidents. Bartolome Terrassa, a television journalist, filed a formal complaint after a run-in with Eto'o in the club's parking lot, accusing the player of saying, "The next time, you are not going to escape; I'm going to kill you." This was not the first incident, however, as the previous year Eto'o's former agent, Daniel Argibeaut, accused the player of assaulting him with four accomplices, saying, "They then took off my shoes, which in Cameroon means I am threatened with death."

Eto'o departed Mallorca as the club's all-time leading domestic league scorer (54 goals) when he signed for Barcelona in the summer of 2004 for a transfer fee of €24 million, after lengthy three-way negotiations with Mallorca and Madrid. Initially Madrid president Florentino Pérez wanted to buy back the full transfer rights and loan him out again but eventually the Barcelona deal proved lucrative enough to warrant a sale. Additionally, the team already had its full quota of three non-EU players.

FC Barcelona

2004–2006

Eto'o during Barcelona's La Liga 2005-2006 celebration

Eto'o made his Barcelona debut in the season opener at Racing Santander on 29 August 2004. After Barcelona won the 2004–05 La Liga title, the team organized a festive party in the Camp Nou, during which Eto'o harangued the fans chanting, "Madrid, cabrón, saluda al campeón" (roughly: "Madrid, bastards, salute the champions"). The Spanish Football Federation fined Eto'o €12,000 for his comments, for which he later apologized. He expressed regret and asked for forgiveness from Real Madrid, his first professional team. The head of the Real Madrid fan club federation remained unimpressed however, stating: "This character is a fantastic player, but he leaves a lot to be desired as a person".

Eto'o playing for Barcelona

After missing out on the previous year's Pichichi (top La Liga goalscorer), Eto'o edged out Valencia CF striker David Villa for the award during the final matchday on 20 May 2006 when he scored his 26th goal of the season against Athletic de Bilbao. Eto'o was very gracious to teammates after the game saying, "It has been a team effort although only one person gets the award. We've worked hard all season and have got our just rewards."

Eto'o also contributed six goals during Barcelona's run to the 2005–06 Champions League title. In the final, Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off early on for bringing down Eto'o just outside of the penalty area, but the Catalans struggled to capitalize on their one-man advantage until Eto'o scored the game-tying goal in the second half. Barcelona went on to win the match 2–1 and Eto'o was awarded with the UEFA Best Forward of the Year award for his accomplishments in the European campaign.

Eto'o also won an historic third consecutive African Player of the Year award that season. He said in his acceptance speech, "Above all, I dedicate this to all the children of Africa." He was also selected to his second straight FIFPro World XI and finished third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year, making him only the second African footballer ever to be voted into the top three.

The season started badly for Eto'o as he ruptured the meniscus in his right knee during Barcelona's Champions League group stage match against Werder Bremen on 27 September 2006. Barcelona team physician Ricard Pruna originally estimated that the injury would keep him out of action for two to three months. After the operation Eto'o's recovery time was extended to five months but he resumed training with Barcelona in early January 2007.

2007–present

Eto'o training with Barcelona.

Eto'o refused to come on as a substitute in a league match against Racing Santander on 11 February 2007. FC Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard said after the match, "He did not want to come on, I don't know why." Ronaldinho was critical of Eto'o's actions, saying that Eto'o was not putting the team first but Eto'o rebutted the comment, claiming that he did not come on because he did not have enough time to warm up properly. Three months later, Eto'o said, "These kind of things are usually just speculation and don't come through to me. However, if it is true that I am a problem for my team then I will go. But like I said, I am happy here. The press can write what they want." Following the comments, Barcelona president Joan Laporta was quick to quash rumours of transfers involving Eto'o and Ronaldinho.

After aggravating a meniscus injury on 28 August during a summer friendly against Internazionale, Eto'o was sidelined indefinitely. On 17 October, in the midst of his recovery period, he gained Spanish citizenship. He was cleared to play again on 4 December, and returned to the side a week later in Barcelona's 2-1 league win over Deportivo La Coruña.

Eto'o recorded his first league hat-trick in a match against Levante on 24 February 2008. He finished with a total of sixteen league goals in eighteen appearances for the season. On 25 October, he recorded the fastest hat-trick in club history after netting three times in 23 minutes in a victory over Almería.

On 29 November 2008, he scored his 111th career Barcelona goal in all competitions in a 3-0 road win over Sevilla, moving him into the club's top ten all-time goalscorers.

On 14 February 2009, he scored his 99th and his 100th league goals for Barcelona in a 2-2 draw with Real Betis. Eto'o scored his 30th goal of the 08/09 season in a Primera match against Real Valladolid. The game ended 1-0 and meant that Barcelona kept a 6 point lead over Real Madrid in the league. He also scored against Villarreal in the game that put Barcelona one point away from lifting the 08/09 La Liga.

Eto'o scored the opening goal in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final against Manchester United becoming only the second ever player, after Raul, to score in two Uefa Champions League Finals. Barcelona went on to win the final 2-0 thus completing the treble.

International career

Eto'o earned his first cap with Cameroon at age 14 on 9 March 1996, in a 5–0 friendly loss to Costa Rica. In 1998, he was the youngest participant in the 1998 FIFA World Cup when he appeared in a 3–0 group stage loss to Italy on 17 June 1998, at the age of 17 years and three months. Eto'o scored his sole goal of the 2002 World Cup when he netted the game-winner against Saudi Arabia during the group stage on 6 June 2002, which was Cameroon's only win of the competition.

Eto'o was a part of the squads that won the 2000 and 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, and was a gold medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics. At the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, in which Cameroon finished as runners-up, he scored his only goal in a 1–0 group-stage upset of Brazil on 19 June. Cameroon were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations after Eto'o missed the decisive penalty in a 12–11 shoot-out loss to Côte d'Ivoire following a 1–1 draw, but he nonetheless finished as the top scorer of the tournament with five goals. He missed a team practice before the quarterfinals to attend the CAF African Player of the Year award ceremonies in Togo.

In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Eto'o became joint leading goalscorer (along with Laurent Pokou) in the competition's history after scoring his fourteenth goal with a penalty against Zambia on 26 January 2008. In the following game against Sudan on 30 January, Eto'o converted another penalty to become the tournament's all time leading scorer, followed by another goal in the same match that took his Cup of Nations tally to 16. He finished as the top scorer for the second consecutive tournament, matching his 2006 total of five goals.

On 1 June 2008, Eto'o headbutted reporter Philippe Bony, following an incident at a press conference. Bony suffered an injury, but Eto'o later apologised for the altercation, offering to pay Bony's medical expenses.

Racism

Eto'o has experienced racial abuse in some away matches; while some ignore the insults, Eto'o, Barcelona teammate Thierry Henry, and Benfica defender Marco Zoro have reacted by being outspoken in their criticism and threatening to leave the pitch.

In February 2005, during an away match with Real Zaragoza, Eto'o was the subject of racist taunts by Zaragoza supporters, who began making monkey-like chants and tossed peanuts onto the pitch whenever he had possession of the ball. However, the referee Fernando Carmona Mendez made no mention of the incidents in his match report, commenting only that the behaviour of the crowd was "normal" but two of the abusers were caught and given five-month sporting-event bans after being identified to police by other spectators. Eto'o later declared that the punishment was insufficient and that La Romareda should have been closed for at least one year, but Rijkaard told him to concentrate on football and to stop talking about the incident. However, infuriated again by Zaragoza fans' racist chants the next season, Eto'o attempted to walk off the pitch in protest. His teammates intervened and convinced him to continue playing. Video of the incident captured him saying "No más" ("No more") as he walked to the sidelines.

Due to ongoing racism from La Liga crowds, Eto'o no longer brings family members, especially his children, to matches. "It is something that has affected me personally. I think players, leaders, and the media have to join forces so that no one feels looked down upon because of the colour of their skin. At this moment in time I prefer my children don't go to football matches. In the stands they have to listen to things that are difficult to explain to a child. It is better they aren't exposed to it."

Personal life

Eto'o has two brothers, David Eto'o, who plays for Reus Deportiu in the Tercera División and Etienne Eto'o, who plays for Mallorca. Eto'o married longtime sweetheart Georgette Eto'o on 6 July 2007. They have three children, Etienne, Maelle, and Siena, who live along with Georgette in Paris.

Career statistics

As of 27 May 2009

Club	Season	League		Cup		Europe		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
CD Leganés	1997-98	28	3	2	1	–		30	4
	Total	28	3	2	1	–		30	4
Real Madrid	1998-99	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	Total	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
RCD Espanyol	1998-99	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
	Total	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
Real Madrid	1999-00	2	0	0	0	3	0	5	0
	Total	2	0	0	0	3	0	5	0
Real Mallorca	1999-00	13	6	0	0	–		13	6
	2000-01	28	11	5	2	–		33	13
	2001-02	30	6	1	1	9	3	40	10
	2002-03	30	14	6	5	–		36	19
	2003-04	32	17	2	0	7	4	41	21
	Total	133	54	14	8	16	7	163	69
FC Barcelona	2004-05	37	25	1	0	7	4	45	29
	2005-06	35	26	2	2	11	6	48	34
	2006-07	18	11	4	1	4	1	26	13
	2007-08	18	16	3	1	7	1	28	18
	2008-09	35	29	4	0	12	6	51	35
	Total	143	107	14	4	41	18	198	129
Career Total		307	164	30	13	60	25	397	202

Honours

Mallorca

• Copa del Rey:
  • Winner (1): 2002-2003

Barcelona

• La Liga:
  • Winner (3): 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09
• Supercopa de España:
  • Winner (2): 2005–06, 2006–07
• UEFA Champions League:
  • Winner (2): 2005-06, 2008-09
• Copa del Rey:
  • Winner (1): 2008-09

International

• African Cup of Nations:
  • Winner (2): 2000,2002
• Confederations Cup
  • Runner up (1): 2003
• African Cup of Nations
  • Runner up (1): 2008
• 2000 Summer Olympics
  • Gold medal (1): 2000

Individual

• African Cup of Nations Top Scorer: 2006, 2008
• African Player of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2005
• FIFPro World XI: 2004-05, 2005-06
• UEFA Champions League Best Forward: 2006
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2005, 2006
• Spanish La Liga Top Scorer: 2006
• World XI Striker: 2004-2005, 2005-2006
• Most Goals Scored In Domestic League RCD Mallorca: 54 Goals
• African Cup of Nations Top Scorer Of All Times: With 16 Goals
• Most Goals Scored In History Of Cameroon National Team
• FIFA World Player of the Year: Third Place: 2005

External links

• Samuel Eto'o – FIFA competition record (archived)
• Official Barcelona Profile Template:En icon
• Official Web Site of Samuel Eto'o Template:En icon
• Samuel Eto'o 2008–09 Champions League stats from UEFA

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