Born on the 10 March 1981, Samuel Eto’o Fils is the most decorated celebrated, respected and talented Africa players. With every touch of the ball, every line up he has featured in, every stadium he has graced, every jersey he has donned and every tournament he has been, he has written history for himself.
Take out your pen and papers, welcome to the history class. The lesson “ETO’O IS KING” has just began. At the tender age of 15 years, he joined one of the finest clubs in the world, Real Madrid. Though the age factor barred him from playing for Real Madrid B, he was loaned out CD Legane’s since his club was relegated to the 3rd tier of the La liga and non-EU players were not allowed to ply their trade.
With 28 appearances at CD Leganes he managed to score three goals in the 97/98 season. The pacy striker returned to his club an year later and was loaned again to Espanol but with in no time he moved to Mallorca where he started breaking and making records under his name.
To all bookmakers, they know he became the highest top scorer ever in RCD Mallorca with 54 goals. That record is still standing. It was here his second trophy in his career as had won the most prestigious title with Real Madrid in 1999, the Champions League.
As his star continued shining brighter for him, he landed an offer he could not reject - a lucrative deal to join Barcelona on a 24 million (euros or dollars?) transfer fee. He proved his worth at Barcelona as with every strike he rose to the echelons of the crème de la crème of world football. During this time, he helped the Catalan side lift the lift three La Ligas, one Copa Del Rey, three Super Coppa de Espana and 2 Champions League titles.
Even before the dust settled, he had edged David Villa and scooped the highly contested Pichichi award in July 2006.
Coach Pep Guardiola traded him with Zlatan Ibrahimovich in 2009 in what many saw as a lack of appreciation to a man who had been integral to the success of the club. The Cameroonian top marksman went down the history books after he won a treble under the guidance of the Special One, Jose Mourinho. Though he was ruled out by many that his style of play won’t fit in the Italian league and that he would end up flopping, he seemed to tick the right boxes in every match and exhibited his prowess in pin-point finishing.
Known for his quick feet and agility off the ball, the modest and laid back player, became the first African player – and indeed, in the world - to win a treble back to back with two different teams. He is the second player to have scored in two separate UEFA Champions League finals and the fourth after Marcel Desailly, Gerard Pique and Paulo Sousa to win the Champions League two years in a row with different clubs. Talk about greatness.
It was in the 2009/10 season at Club Internazionale where he showed his plethora of talent by scoring a superb goal against African champions TP Mazembe at the Club World Cup Finals to become the first professional players to score a goal in seven different competitions in a single year. No doubt this is pure class.
Eto’o has had his fair share of being subjected to racism while playing at Barcelona but that did not deter him from making strides in spreading the good values of the beautiful sport as he never let the vice destroy him.
He is the captain and all-time leading scorer of Cameroon with 52 goals in 101 appearances. He first donned his national colours at 15 years. He scooped the Olympic Gold medal with Cameroon National team in 2000 and is a two time African Cup of Nations winner (2000, 2002).
So if you are reading this while having a hat on, feel free to remove it (hats off). If you are standing take a bow, if you are next to someone a high five is well accepted when you are done, if you are seated comfortably a standing ovation would do and if you are in no position do all the above a smile would be enough for a man the FIFA Player of the Year Award has evaded his whole career life.
He deserves it.
