Samuel Eto'o
Encyclopedia
Samuel Eto'o Fils (born 10 March 1981) is a Cameroon
ian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala
. He is also the current captain of the Cameroon national team
.
Eto'o trained at Kadji Sports Academy. He also holds a Spanish
passport, enabling him not to count among the "foreign players" working in the European Union
.
Eto'o scored over 100 goals in five seasons with FC Barcelona
, and is also the record holder in number of appearances by an Africa
n player in La Liga
. In 2010, he became the first player to win two European Continental Trebles following his back-to-back achievements with Barcelona and Internazionale. He is the second player to have ever scored in two separate UEFA Champions League
finals and the fourth player, after Marcel Desailly
, Paulo Sousa
, and Gerard Piqué
, to have won the UEFA Champions League two years in a row with different teams. He is the most decorated African player of all time having won the African Player of the Year award a record four times in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010.
As a member of the Cameroon national team
, he was a part of the squad that won the 2000 Olympic tournament
; he has participated in three World Cups
and six African Nations Cups (being champion twice) and is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the African Nations Cup, with 18 goals.
in 1997, but he could only train with Real Madrid B
, as he was still a minor. Real Madrid B were relegated to the third tier, Segunda División B
, where non-European Union
players are not allowed, and as a result, he was loaned to second-division CD Leganés
for the 1997–98 season, when he was only in the tenth grade. After making 30 appearances for the club and only scoring four goals, he returned to Madrid following the end of the 1998–99 season. In January 1999, he was loaned out to RCD Espanyol
, but failed to make any appearances for the club.
on loan, scoring six goals in 19 games. 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.[9]
In his second season, he scored 11 goals and began to garner attention throughout the league. Mallorca 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."[7] Eto'o himself 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.[10] Mallorca won the match 3–0, with Eto'o scoring two late goals to seal the victory.[11] His volatile attitude, however, 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."[10]
Eto'o departed Mallorca as the club's all-time leading domestic league scorer (54 goals) when he signed for FC Barcelona
in the summer of 2004 for a transfer fee of €24 million, after lengthy, three-way negotiations with Mallorca and Madrid. Initially, Real 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.
Eto'o made his Barcelona debut in the season opener at Racing de 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" (English: Madrid, bastards, salute the champions). The Royal 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." He signed an improved contract with Barcelona in June 2005.
After missing out on the previous year's Pichichi trophy, which is given to the topscorer in La Liga, 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 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.
on 11 February 2007. 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 de La Coruña
.
Eto'o recorded his first league hat-trick
in a match against UD Levante on 24 February 2008. He finished with a total of 16 league goals in 18 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 UD Almería
. Only two games later, on 8 November 2008, Eto'o scored four goals in the first half of Barcelona's game against Real Valladolid
, which ended 6–0.
On 29 November 2008, he scored his 111th career Barcelona goal in all competitions in a 3–0 road win over Sevilla FC
, 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 2008–09 season in a La Liga match against Real Valladolid. The game ended 1–0 and meant that Barcelona kept a six point lead over Real Madrid
in the league. He also scored against Villarreal CF
in the game that put Barcelona one point away from lifting the 2008–09 La Liga trophy.
Eto'o scored the opening goal in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final
against Manchester United
. Barcelona went on to win the final 2–0, thus completing the Treble.
completed the transfer from Internazionale
, Joan Laporta
confirmed that there was an agreement in principle between Barcelona and Internazionale for Zlatan Ibrahimović
to join the club in exchange for Eto'o and €46 million. After Ibrahimović agreed terms with Barcelona, the club announced Eto'o would travel to Milan
for his medical to complete the transfer.
On 27 July 2009, Eto'o passed his medical and signed for five years with Inter. On his first press-conference in Milan, he declared that he was where he wanted to be and refused to compare himself to Ibrahimović saying, "I'm Samuel Eto'o and I don't want to compare myself to anyone. I believe the victories I have earned up to now can contribute to giving the right value to my name." On 8 August, Eto'o scored his first competitive goal for Inter, in the 2009 Supercoppa Italiana
. Two weeks later, Eto'o scored from the penalty spot
against Bari
in his first Serie A
match. In the following match, the Milan Derby, Eto'o won Inter a penalty, after being brought down by Gennaro Gattuso
in the box. Gattuso was yellow carded and eventually sent off. Eto'o scored again on 13 September against Parma
, his first goal from open play in a Serie A match.
At the end of September 2009, Eto'o demanded almost £2.75 million from Barcelona after his transfer to Inter. The amount represented 15% of the US$29 million (£17.7 million) fee which Inter paid Barcelona in July 2009. The demand was based on a Spanish rule that a player should get 15% of the amount of his transfer to another Spanish club. If the parties failed to reach a solution, the matter could go to court.
Eto'o scored two goals during a thrilling win over Palermo
which ended 5–3, with a brace also being scored by Mario Balotelli
.
Eto'o also scored in the Champions League
Round of 16 against Chelsea
, in the second leg, on 16 March 2010, which allowed Inter to progress to the quarter-finals. On 5 May, Eto'o and his teammates helped Inter to lift the Italian Cup after defeating Roma
1–0 at the Stadio Olimpico
. Inter's goal was scored by Argentina
's Diego Milito
.
On 22 May 2010, Eto'o played in the third Champions League final
of his career, and with Internazionale's triumph over Bayern Munich
, he became the only player to win the treble in consecutive seasons.
On 21 August 2010, Eto'o scored twice as Internazionale beat Roma
3–1 to win the Italian SuperCup
. His first hat trick for Internazionale occurred in the UEFA Champions League against the German team Werder Bremen
on 29 September 2010. Internazionale won the game 4–0, with Eto'o saying, "We will remain humble because we know that there are sides out there that are better than us, so we will just take it one match at a time and we will go as far as it takes us".
Continuing his outstanding form in Serie A and in the Champions League for the 2010–11 campaign, he was pivotal to Internazionale's attack line. On 16 March 2011, Eto'o gave a legendary performance in Munich
as he helped Internazionale eliminate Bayern Munich 3–2 (with an aggregate score of 3–3, winning on away goals) in the Champions League. Eto'o scored the first goal after four minutes into play, as well as provided two clinical assists to Wesley Sneijder
and to Goran Pandev
for the winner. After the game, Inter President Massimo Moratti
said, "I'm not sure if the deal that brought Eto'o to the club was my best piece of transfer business ever, but I really think it was a great piece of business for us. Eto'o is fantastic. I do not want to take anything away from Ibrahimovic, but for everyone it was really a great deal to get Eto'o. Samuel is truly extraordinary." On 29 May, Eto'o scored two goals in the final
of the Italian Cup against Palermo
to help Internazionale win 3–1 and taking his total season goals to 37, a new record high for him.
reached an agreement with Internazionale to sign Eto'o in a three-year deal that is expected to make him the world's highest paid player, with an earning of €10m per season. Eto'o made his debut for Anzhi on 27 August 2011 against FC Rostov
when he came on as a substitute with 30 minutes to go in the game and scored an equalizer in the 80th minute from a cross by Yuri Zhirkov
. Eto'o scored the opening goal in an entertaining 5-3 defeat at home to CSKA
leaving his side four points above Krasnodar
with only two games left for qualification to the Championship Group.
Eto'o earned his first cap with one day before his 16th birthday on 9 March 1997, in a 5–0 friendly loss to . 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 penalty shootout 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 quarter-finals to attend the CAF African Footballer 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 14th 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 apologized for the altercation, offering to pay Bony's medical expenses.
In the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Gabon
, Eto'o scored a goal in the 68th minute. He followed it up with another goal in the home fixture. He lead the scoring chart with eight qualification goals. Eto'o scored in the World Cup qualification match against Morocco
to win Cameroon a spot in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
tournament.
On 1 December 2009, Eto'o finished fifth in voting for the Ballon d'Or, which was won by his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi
.
On 19 June 2010, Eto'o scored a goal in Cameroon's 2010 World Cup
group stage match against Denmark
, from a mistake by Christian Poulsen
. Cameroon eventually lost the game 2–1 and was eliminated from the World Cup. Eto'o described it as the biggest disappointment of his career. In December 2010, Eto'o became the first man to be named African Player of the Year for a fourth time.
, who plays for FC Koper
in Slovenia
, and Étienne
, who is currently on loan to Pobla de Mafumet CF
from Gimnàstic de Tarragona
. Eto'o has four children : Maelle, Étienne, Siena and Lynn. He married his longtime sweetheart Georgette on 6 July 2007. They have two children together: Siena, and Lynn who both live along with Georgette in Paris
, France
.
and Universitatea Craiova
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 onto the pitch whenever he had possession of the ball. The referee, however, Fernando Carmona Méndez, made no mention of the incidents in his match report, commenting only that the behavior of the crowd was "normal"; 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 Frank Rijkaard
told him to concentrate on football and to stop talking about the incident. Infuriated again by Zaragoza fans' racist chants the next season, however, 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.
On 17 October 2010, in a Serie A game against Cagliari
, after just three minutes of play, the referee halted the match to give a warning to the Cagliari fans for their racist chants, which were directed towards Eto'o. After the play was resumed, the rest of the stadium chanted loudly in an attempt to drown out the racist chants in order for the match to not to be stopped. Ironically, Inter would go on to win 1–0 thanks to an Eto'o goal in the 39th minute.
Due to ongoing racism from La Liga crowds, Eto'o stopped bringing family members 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."
|-
|1997||3||1
|-
|1998||5||0
|-
|1999||1||0
|-
|2000||9||5
|-
|2001||9||2
|-
|2002||13||5
|-
|2003||7||2
|-
|2004||9||4
|-
|2005||6||1
|-
|2006||5||5
|-
|2007||3||1
|-
|2008||11||11
|-
|2009||8||5
|-
|2010||12||8
|-
|2011||9||4
|-
!Total||109||54
|}
Barcelona
Internazionale
Cameroon Olympic Team
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
ian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala
FC Anzhi Makhachkala
FC Anzhi Makhachkala is a Russian football club based in Makhachkala, capital of the Republic of Dagestan, which plays in the Russian Premier League. The word "Anzhi" is part of Anzhi-Qala the old name of Makhachkala.-History:The club was founded in 1991 and has played in the Russian league since...
. He is also the current captain of the Cameroon national team
Cameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
.
Eto'o trained at Kadji Sports Academy. He also holds a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
passport, enabling him not to count among the "foreign players" working in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Eto'o scored over 100 goals in five seasons with FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, and is also the record holder in number of appearances by an Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n player in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
. In 2010, he became the first player to win two European Continental Trebles following his back-to-back achievements with Barcelona and Internazionale. He is the second player to have ever scored in two separate UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
finals and the fourth player, after Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly is a retired Ghanaian born French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000...
, Paulo Sousa
Paulo Sousa
Paulo Manuel Carvalho de Sousa, CavIH is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and a current manager.He was a member of the “Portuguese Golden Generation”...
, and Gerard Piqué
Gerard Piqué
Gerard Piqué i Bernabeu is a Spanish footballer, currently playing as a central defender for FC Barcelona.A product of Barça's cantera, he initially left the club for Manchester United in 2004, where he remained for four years, before returning to Barça under Josep Guardiola's leadership, helping...
, to have won the UEFA Champions League two years in a row with different teams. He is the most decorated African player of all time having won the African Player of the Year award a record four times in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010.
As a member of the Cameroon national team
Cameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
, he was a part of the squad that won the 2000 Olympic tournament
Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...
; he has participated in three World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and six African Nations Cups (being champion twice) and is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the African Nations Cup, with 18 goals.
Real Madrid
Samuel Eto'o joined Real MadridReal Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in 1997, but he could only train with Real Madrid B
Real Madrid Castilla
Real Madrid Castilla is a Spanish football team that plays in the Segunda División B. It is the reserve team of Real Madrid. They play their home games at Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium....
, as he was still a minor. Real Madrid B were relegated to the third tier, Segunda División B
Segunda División B
Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...
, where non-European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
players are not allowed, and as a result, he was loaned to second-division CD Leganés
CD Leganés
Club Deportivo Leganés, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team from Leganés, in the Madrid outskirts. Founded on 26 June 1928, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home games at Estadio Municipal de Butarque, which seats 8,000 spectators....
for the 1997–98 season, when he was only in the tenth grade. After making 30 appearances for the club and only scoring four goals, he returned to Madrid following the end of the 1998–99 season. In January 1999, he was loaned out to RCD Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
, but failed to make any appearances for the club.
Mallorca
The next season, in the winter transfer window, he transferred to La Liga team RCD MallorcaRCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix....
on loan, scoring six goals in 19 games. 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.[9]
In his second season, he scored 11 goals and began to garner attention throughout the league. Mallorca 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."[7] Eto'o himself commented on his rise to stardom, "I like it here in Mallorca
Mallorca
Majorca or Mallorca is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the Balearic Islands.The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Cabrera Archipelago is administratively grouped with Majorca...
; 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
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
final against Recreativo de Huelva
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, it is the oldest football team in Spain, and currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which has a...
in 2003.[10] Mallorca won the match 3–0, with Eto'o scoring two late goals to seal the victory.[11] His volatile attitude, however, 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."[10]
2004–2007
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
in the summer of 2004 for a transfer fee of €24 million, after lengthy, three-way negotiations with Mallorca and Madrid. Initially, Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez
Florentino Pérez
Florentino Pérez Rodríguez is a Spanish businessman, civil engineer, former politician, and current president of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, as well as ACS...
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.
Eto'o made his Barcelona debut in the season opener at Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
on 29 August 2004. After Barcelona won the 2004–05 La Liga title, the team organized a festive party in the Camp Nou
Camp Nou
Camp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....
, during which Eto'o harangued the fans chanting, "Madrid, cabrón, saluda al campeón" (English: Madrid, bastards, salute the champions). The Royal 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." He signed an improved contract with Barcelona in June 2005.
After missing out on the previous year's Pichichi trophy, which is given to the topscorer in La Liga, Eto'o edged out Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
striker David Villa
David Villa
David Villa Sánchez , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national football team. He can also operate as a winger....
for the award during the final matchday on 20 May 2006 when he scored his 26th goal of the season against Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
. 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
UEFA Champions League 2005-06
The 2005–06 UEFA Champions League was the 51st staging of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, and the 14th since it was rebranded from the European Cup in 1992. 74 teams from 50 football associations took part, starting with the first qualifying round played...
title. In the final
2006 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2006 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Barcelona of Spain and Arsenal of England at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, France, on Wednesday, 17...
, Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
goalkeeper Jens Lehmann
Jens Lehmann
Jens Gerhard Lehmann is a German former football goalkeeper. He was voted UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year for the 1996–97 and 2005–06 seasons, and he has been selected for three World Cup squads. He was a member of Arsenal's Invincibles, playing every match of their famous unbeaten title winning...
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
FIFA World Player of the Year
The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award given annually to the male and female player who were thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams...
, 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
Meniscus (anatomy)
In anatomy, a meniscus is a crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that, in contrast to articular disks, only partly divides a joint cavity. In humans it is present in the knee, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, and temporomandibular joints; in other organisms they may be present in other...
in his right knee during Barcelona's Champions League group stage match against Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
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.
2007–2009
Eto'o refused to come on as a substitute in a league match against Racing de SantanderRacing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
on 11 February 2007. Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard
Frank Rijkaard
Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard is a Dutch football manager of Dutch and Surinamese descent and former player. Rijkaard has played for Ajax, Real Zaragoza and Milan, and represented his national side 73 times, scoring 10 goals. In his coaching career, he has been at the helm of the Dutch national side,...
said after the match, "He did not want to come on; I don't know why." Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira , commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Flamengo and the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded to the best player over the year...
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
Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta i Estruch is a Spanish politician and former president of Futbol Club Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.Laporta is a lawyer with his own firm, Laporta & Arbós, which has important firms as clients. Laporta was married to Constanza Echevarría and has three sons, Pol, Guillem and Jan...
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
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
, 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 de La Coruña
Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña is a professional football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia; founded in 1906 and currently playing in Segunda División...
.
Eto'o recorded his first league hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in a match against UD Levante on 24 February 2008. He finished with a total of 16 league goals in 18 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 UD Almería
UD Almería
Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1989 as Almería Club de Fútbol, it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, with a 22,000-seat...
. Only two games later, on 8 November 2008, Eto'o scored four goals in the first half of Barcelona's game against Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
, which ended 6–0.
On 29 November 2008, he scored his 111th career Barcelona goal in all competitions in a 3–0 road win over Sevilla FC
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
, 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
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
. Eto'o scored his 30th goal of the 2008–09 season in a La Liga match against Real Valladolid. The game ended 1–0 and meant that Barcelona kept a six point lead over Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in the league. He also scored against Villarreal CF
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
in the game that put Barcelona one point away from lifting the 2008–09 La Liga trophy.
Eto'o scored the opening goal in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final
2009 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2009 UEFA Champions League Final was played on 27 May 2009 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. The match determined the winners of the 2008–09 season of the UEFA Champions League, a tournament for the top football clubs in Europe. The match was won by Barcelona of Spain, who beat England's...
against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. Barcelona went on to win the final 2–0, thus completing the Treble.
Internazionale
After MaxwellMaxwell Cabelino Andrade
Maxwell Scherrer Cabelino Andrade , commonly known as Maxwell, is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club FC Barcelona...
completed the transfer from Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
, Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta i Estruch is a Spanish politician and former president of Futbol Club Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.Laporta is a lawyer with his own firm, Laporta & Arbós, which has important firms as clients. Laporta was married to Constanza Echevarría and has three sons, Pol, Guillem and Jan...
confirmed that there was an agreement in principle between Barcelona and Internazionale for Zlatan Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Milan and the Swedish national team for which he is captain....
to join the club in exchange for Eto'o and €46 million. After Ibrahimović agreed terms with Barcelona, the club announced Eto'o would travel to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
for his medical to complete the transfer.
On 27 July 2009, Eto'o passed his medical and signed for five years with Inter. On his first press-conference in Milan, he declared that he was where he wanted to be and refused to compare himself to Ibrahimović saying, "I'm Samuel Eto'o and I don't want to compare myself to anyone. I believe the victories I have earned up to now can contribute to giving the right value to my name." On 8 August, Eto'o scored his first competitive goal for Inter, in the 2009 Supercoppa Italiana
2009 Supercoppa Italiana
The 2009 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 2008–09 Serie A winners Internazionale and 2008–09 Coppa Italia winners Lazio. It took place on 8 August 2009 at the Beijing National Stadium in Beijing, China. Lazio won the match 2–1 to earn their third Supercoppa...
. Two weeks later, Eto'o scored from the penalty spot
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
against Bari
A.S. Bari
Associazione Sportiva Bari is an Italian football club founded in 1908, they are based in Bari, Apulia and plays in Serie B. The club have spent many seasons bouncing between the top two divisions in Italian football, Serie A and Serie B....
in his first Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
match. In the following match, the Milan Derby, Eto'o won Inter a penalty, after being brought down by Gennaro Gattuso
Gennaro Gattuso
Gennaro Ivan Gattuso, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian footballer, who plays for Serie A club Milan. He mainly plays as a defensive midfielder. Gattuso is an aggressive, hard tackling player and in his prime, was widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world...
in the box. Gattuso was yellow carded and eventually sent off. Eto'o scored again on 13 September against Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
, his first goal from open play in a Serie A match.
At the end of September 2009, Eto'o demanded almost £2.75 million from Barcelona after his transfer to Inter. The amount represented 15% of the US$29 million (£17.7 million) fee which Inter paid Barcelona in July 2009. The demand was based on a Spanish rule that a player should get 15% of the amount of his transfer to another Spanish club. If the parties failed to reach a solution, the matter could go to court.
Eto'o scored two goals during a thrilling win over Palermo
U.S. Città di Palermo
Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is currently...
which ended 5–3, with a brace also being scored by Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for English team Manchester City and the Italian national team.He started his professional football career at Lumezzane and only played for the first team twice before having an unsuccessful trial at FC Barcelona, and subsequently...
.
Eto'o also scored in the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
Round of 16 against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, in the second leg, on 16 March 2010, which allowed Inter to progress to the quarter-finals. On 5 May, Eto'o and his teammates helped Inter to lift the Italian Cup after defeating Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
1–0 at the Stadio Olimpico
Stadio Olimpico
The Stadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of Rome, Italy. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex on the north of the city. An asset of the Italian National Olympic Committee, the structure is intended primarily for football...
. Inter's goal was scored by Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
's Diego Milito
Diego Milito
Diego Alberto Milito is an Argentine footballer who plays as a striker for the Italian Serie A team Internazionale. He also plays for the Argentine national team. A prolific and consistent center-forward, Milito has statistically averaged just over a goal every two appearances, over the course of...
.
On 22 May 2010, Eto'o played in the third Champions League final
2010 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2010 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid, on Saturday, 22 May 2010, to determine the winners of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League. It was the first Champions League final to be played on a Saturday, rather than the...
of his career, and with Internazionale's triumph over Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
, he became the only player to win the treble in consecutive seasons.
On 21 August 2010, Eto'o scored twice as Internazionale beat Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
3–1 to win the Italian SuperCup
2010 Supercoppa Italiana
- References :...
. His first hat trick for Internazionale occurred in the UEFA Champions League against the German team Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
on 29 September 2010. Internazionale won the game 4–0, with Eto'o saying, "We will remain humble because we know that there are sides out there that are better than us, so we will just take it one match at a time and we will go as far as it takes us".
Continuing his outstanding form in Serie A and in the Champions League for the 2010–11 campaign, he was pivotal to Internazionale's attack line. On 16 March 2011, Eto'o gave a legendary performance in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
as he helped Internazionale eliminate Bayern Munich 3–2 (with an aggregate score of 3–3, winning on away goals) in the Champions League. Eto'o scored the first goal after four minutes into play, as well as provided two clinical assists to Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder is a Dutch footballer playing as an attacking midfielder for Internazionale. He was named UEFA midfielder of the season as well as one of the three best midfielders in the world for 2010 by FIFA....
and to Goran Pandev
Goran Pandev
Goran Pandev , is a Macedonian footballer who plays as a forward for Italian Serie A club Napoli on loan from Internazionale. He is also considered a key player for the Macedonian national team.-Early career:...
for the winner. After the game, Inter President Massimo Moratti
Massimo Moratti
Massimo Moratti is an Italian oil tycoon. He is the owner and President of Italian football team Football Club Internazionale Milano, and Chief Executive Officer of Saras S.p.A.-Life and career:...
said, "I'm not sure if the deal that brought Eto'o to the club was my best piece of transfer business ever, but I really think it was a great piece of business for us. Eto'o is fantastic. I do not want to take anything away from Ibrahimovic, but for everyone it was really a great deal to get Eto'o. Samuel is truly extraordinary." On 29 May, Eto'o scored two goals in the final
2011 Coppa Italia Final
The 2011 Coppa Italia Final was the final match of the 2010–11 Coppa Italia, the 63rd season of the top cup competition in Italian football. The match was played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 29 May 2011 between Internazionale and Palermo. Internazionale won by 3–1 to retain the trophy.-Road to...
of the Italian Cup against Palermo
U.S. Città di Palermo
Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is currently...
to help Internazionale win 3–1 and taking his total season goals to 37, a new record high for him.
Anzhi Makhachkala
On 23 August 2011, Anzhi MakhachkalaFC Anzhi Makhachkala
FC Anzhi Makhachkala is a Russian football club based in Makhachkala, capital of the Republic of Dagestan, which plays in the Russian Premier League. The word "Anzhi" is part of Anzhi-Qala the old name of Makhachkala.-History:The club was founded in 1991 and has played in the Russian league since...
reached an agreement with Internazionale to sign Eto'o in a three-year deal that is expected to make him the world's highest paid player, with an earning of €10m per season. Eto'o made his debut for Anzhi on 27 August 2011 against FC Rostov
FC Rostov
FC Rostov is a Russian football club based in Rostov-on-Don, Rostov Oblast. The club are currently members of the Russian Premier League and play at the Olimp – 2 stadium.-History:...
when he came on as a substitute with 30 minutes to go in the game and scored an equalizer in the 80th minute from a cross by Yuri Zhirkov
Yuri Zhirkov
Yuri Valentinovich Zhirkov is a Russian footballer who plays for Anzhi Makhachkala and the Russian national team.-Early life:Yuri Valentinovich Zhirkov was born in Tambov, on 20 August 1983. His father, Valentin Ivanovich Zhirkov worked at the "Revtrud" factory and his mother was a postwoman. Yuri...
. Eto'o scored the opening goal in an entertaining 5-3 defeat at home to CSKA
CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow is a major Russian sports club based in Moscow. It is popularly referred to in the West as "Red Army" or "the Red Army team" because during the Soviet era, it was a part of the Armed Forces sports society, which in turn was associated with the Soviet Army...
leaving his side four points above Krasnodar
FC Krasnodar
FC Krasnodar is a Russian association football club from Krasnodar. In 2009 the club was promoted to the Russian First Division, the second highest division of the Russian football league system despite finishing Zone South of Second Division as 3rd. In 2009 club finished as 10th...
with only two games left for qualification to the Championship Group.
International career
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
when he appeared in a 3–0 group stage loss to Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
on 17 June 1998, at the age of 17 years and three months. Eto'o scored his sole goal of the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
when he netted the game-winner against Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia national football team
Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...
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
2000 African Cup of Nations
The 2000 African Cup of Nations was the 22nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa . It was co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria, who jointly replaced Zimbabwe as host. Just like in 1998, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four...
and 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, and was a gold medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...
. At the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup football tournament was the sixth FIFA Confederations Cup, held in France in June 2003. France retained the title they had won in 2001, but the tournament was overshadowed by the death of Cameroon player Marc-Vivien Foé, who died of heart failure in his side's...
, in which Cameroon finished as runners-up, he scored his only goal in a 1–0 group-stage upset of Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
on 19 June. Cameroon were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations
2006 African Cup of Nations
-Group B:---------------------Group C:---------------------Group D:---------------------Knockout stage:-Quarter-finals:-------------Semi-finals:-----Third-place play-off:-Final:-Scorers:...
after Eto'o missed the decisive penalty in a 12–11 penalty shootout loss to Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire national football team
The Côte d'Ivoire National Football Team or Ivory Coast National Football Team, nicknamed Les Éléphants , represents Côte d'Ivoire in international football and is controlled by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football...
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 quarter-finals to attend the CAF African Footballer of the Year
African Footballer of the Year
The African Footballer of the Year award, presented to the best African football player each year, has been conferred by the Confederation of African Football since 1992. An earlier African Footballer of the Year Golden Ball award was given out between 1970 and 1994 by France Football magazine...
award ceremonies in Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
.
In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Eto'o became joint leading goalscorer (along with Laurent Pokou
Laurent Pokou
Laurent Pokou is a former footballer from Ivory Coast, who works for Académie de Sol Beni as Head Coach.-Career:He was a notable striker for French club Stade Rennais.-International career:...
) in the competition's history after scoring his 14th goal with a penalty against Zambia
Zambia national football team
The Zambia national football team represents the country of Zambia in the sport of association football and is governed by the Football Association of Zambia. Before independence they were known as the Northern Rhodesia national football team. The side is nicknamed Chipolopolo as copper is one of...
on 26 January 2008. In the following game against Sudan
Sudan national football team
The Sudan national football team represents Sudan in association football and is controlled by the Sudan Football Association, the governing body for football in Sudan. Sudan's home ground is Al Merreikh Stadium in Omdurman and their head coach is Mohammed Abdullah Mazda...
, 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 apologized for the altercation, offering to pay Bony's medical expenses.
In the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Gabon
Gabon national football team
The Gabon national football team, nicknamed Azingo Nationale, is the national team of Gabon and is controlled by the Fédération Gabonaise de Football...
, Eto'o scored a goal in the 68th minute. He followed it up with another goal in the home fixture. He lead the scoring chart with eight qualification goals. Eto'o scored in the World Cup qualification match against Morocco
Morocco national football team
The Morocco national football team , nicknamed أسود الأطلس , is the national team of Morocco and is managed by Eric Gerets. Winners of the African Nations Cup in 1976, they were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and...
to win Cameroon a spot in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
tournament.
On 1 December 2009, Eto'o finished fifth in voting for the Ballon d'Or, which was won by his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...
.
On 19 June 2010, Eto'o scored a goal in Cameroon's 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
group stage match against Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
, from a mistake by Christian Poulsen
Christian Poulsen
Christian Bjørnshøj Poulsen is a Danish footballer who plays for Evian in Ligue 1. He has played for a number of European clubs, winning the Danish Superliga championship with F.C...
. Cameroon eventually lost the game 2–1 and was eliminated from the World Cup. Eto'o described it as the biggest disappointment of his career. In December 2010, Eto'o became the first man to be named African Player of the Year for a fourth time.
International goals
Source:| Goal | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 August 1997 | 3–3 | 3–3 | LG Cup | |
| 2 | 28 January 2000 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2000 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 3 | 6 February 2000 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2000 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 4 | 10 February 2000 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2000 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 5 | 13 February 2000 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2000 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 6 | 19 April 2000 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 199 teams entered the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. and , as the co-hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 29 spots open for competition.... |
|
| 7 | 28 January 2001 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 199 teams entered the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. and , as the co-hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 29 spots open for competition.... |
|
| 8 | 1 July 2001 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 199 teams entered the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. and , as the co-hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 29 spots open for competition.... |
|
| 9 | 7 January 2002 | 3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 10 | 29 January 2002 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2002 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 11 | 27 March 2002 | 2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 12 | 26 May 2002 | 2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 13 | 6 June 2002 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 14 | 27 March 2003 | 2–0 | 2–0 | Tunis Tournament | |
| 15 | 19 June 2003 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup football tournament was the sixth FIFA Confederations Cup, held in France in June 2003. France retained the title they had won in 2001, but the tournament was overshadowed by the death of Cameroon player Marc-Vivien Foé, who died of heart failure in his side's... |
|
| 16 | 8 February 2004 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2004 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 17 | 6 June 2004 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition... |
|
| 18 | 4 July 2004 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition... |
|
| 19 | 15 September 2004 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition... |
|
| 20 | 4 June 2005 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition... |
|
| 21 | 21 January 2006 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2006 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 22 | 21 January 2006 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2006 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 23 | 21 January 2006 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2006 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 24 | 25 January 2006 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2006 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 25 | 29 January 2006 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2006 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 26 | 3 June 2007 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 27 | 22 January 2008 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 28 | 22 January 2008 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 29 | 26 January 2008 | 4–0 | 5–1 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 30 | 30 January 2008 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 31 | 30 January 2008 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 32 | 31 May 2008 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament... |
|
| 33 | 8 June 2008 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament... |
|
| 34 | 21 June 2008 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament... |
|
| 35 | 21 June 2008 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament... |
|
| 36 | 11 October 2008 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament... |
|
| 37 | 11 October 2008 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament... |
|
| 38 | 11 February 2009 | 3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 39 | 11 February 2009 | 3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 40 | 5 September 2009 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament... |
|
| 41 | 9 September 2009 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament... |
|
| 42 | 14 November 2009 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament... |
|
| 43 | 17 January 2010 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2010 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 44 | 21 January 2010 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2010 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 45 | 19 June 2010 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup 2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010... |
|
| 46 | 24 June 2010 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup 2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010... |
|
| 47 | 11 August 2010 | 0–1 | 0–3 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 48 | 11 August 2010 | 0–2 | 0–3 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 49 | 4 September 2010 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 50 | 4 September 2010 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 51 | 3 September 2011 | 3–0 | 6–0 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 52 | 7 October 2011 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 53 | 11 November 2011 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2011 Marrakech LG Cup | |
| 54 | 13 November 2011 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2011 Marrakech LG Cup |
Personal life
Eto'o has two brothers: DavidDavid Eto'o
David Pierre Eto'o is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays for FC Koper since January 2011.-Career:...
, who plays for FC Koper
FC Koper
FC Koper is a Slovenian football club, playing in the town of Koper. The club is one of only three football clubs in the country, the others being Maribor and former Olimpija, that won all three domestic competitions . The team plays its matches on Bonifika stadium that was built in 2010 and has a...
in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, and Étienne
Etienne Eto'o
Etienne Emmanuel Eto'o Fils is a Cameroonian football player currently playing for Austrian second division club FC Lustenau.-Career:...
, who is currently on loan to Pobla de Mafumet CF
Pobla de Mafumet CF
Pobla Mafumet Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football team based in La Pobla de Mafumet, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Founded in 1953, it plays in Tercera División - Group 5, holding home games at Estadi Municipal, which has a capacity of 1,000 spectators.It acts as farm team for...
from Gimnàstic de Tarragona
Gimnàstic de Tarragona
Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, usually referred to as Nàstic, is a Spanish sports club based in Tarragona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Its football team currently plays in Segunda División....
. Eto'o has four children : Maelle, Étienne, Siena and Lynn. He married his longtime sweetheart Georgette on 6 July 2007. They have two children together: Siena, and Lynn who both live along with Georgette in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Racism
Eto'o has experienced racial abuse in some away matches. Eto'o, along with former Barcelona teammate Thierry HenryThierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
and Universitatea Craiova
FC Universitatea Craiova
Fotbal Club Universitatea Craiova is a Romanian professional football club from Craiova. They became the first Romanian football team to reach the semi-finals of a European tournament, during the UEFA Cup in 1982–83...
defender Marco Zoro
Marco Zoro
Marco André Zoro Kpolo , known as Zoro, is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a defender.-Club career:...
, have reacted by being outspoken in their criticism and threatening to leave the pitch.
In February 2005, during an away match with Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
, Eto'o was the subject of racist taunts by Zaragoza supporters, who began making monkey-like chants onto the pitch whenever he had possession of the ball. The referee, however, Fernando Carmona Méndez, made no mention of the incidents in his match report, commenting only that the behavior of the crowd was "normal"; 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
La Romareda
Estadio de La Romareda is the home stadium of Real Zaragoza, in Zaragoza. It was inaugurated on September 8, 1957, with a game between Real Zaragoza and CA Osasuna . The official capacity is 34,596, with an average attendance of around 30,000 for Real Zaragoza matches.The stadium has gone through...
should have been closed for at least one year, but Frank Rijkaard
Frank Rijkaard
Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard is a Dutch football manager of Dutch and Surinamese descent and former player. Rijkaard has played for Ajax, Real Zaragoza and Milan, and represented his national side 73 times, scoring 10 goals. In his coaching career, he has been at the helm of the Dutch national side,...
told him to concentrate on football and to stop talking about the incident. Infuriated again by Zaragoza fans' racist chants the next season, however, 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.
On 17 October 2010, in a Serie A game against Cagliari
Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B....
, after just three minutes of play, the referee halted the match to give a warning to the Cagliari fans for their racist chants, which were directed towards Eto'o. After the play was resumed, the rest of the stadium chanted loudly in an attempt to drown out the racist chants in order for the match to not to be stopped. Ironically, Inter would go on to win 1–0 thanks to an Eto'o goal in the 39th minute.
Due to ongoing racism from La Liga crowds, Eto'o stopped bringing family members 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."
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Real Madrid Real Madrid C.F. Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la... |
1998–99 La Liga 1998-99 1998-99 season was composed of the following clubs:* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Betis* Celta de Vigo* Deportivo Alavés* Deportivo de La Coruña* RCD Espanyol* CF Extremadura* RCD Mallorca* Racing de Santander* Real Madrid... |
1 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | - | |
| Espanyol RCD Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009... |
1998–99 La Liga 1998-99 1998-99 season was composed of the following clubs:* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Betis* Celta de Vigo* Deportivo Alavés* Deportivo de La Coruña* RCD Espanyol* CF Extremadura* RCD Mallorca* Racing de Santander* Real Madrid... |
0 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | |
| Real Madrid Real Madrid C.F. Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la... |
1999–00 La Liga 1999-00 1998-99 season was composed of the following clubs:* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Betis* Celta de Vigo* Deportivo Alavés* Deportivo de La Coruña* RCD Espanyol* Málaga CF* RCD Mallorca* CD Numancia* Racing de Santander* Rayo Vallecano... |
2 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 2 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | - | |
| Mallorca RCD Mallorca Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix.... |
1999–00 La Liga 1999-00 1998-99 season was composed of the following clubs:* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Betis* Celta de Vigo* Deportivo Alavés* Deportivo de La Coruña* RCD Espanyol* Málaga CF* RCD Mallorca* CD Numancia* Racing de Santander* Rayo Vallecano... |
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 | 32 | 14 | |||||||||||
| 6 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 36 | 19 | ||||||||||||
| 2003–04 | 32 | 17 | |||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 41 | 21 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 133 | 54 | - | 14 | 8 | - | 16 | 7 | - | 163 | 69 | - | |
| Barcelona FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.... |
2004–05 | 37 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 45 | 29 | 6 |
| 2005–06 | 35 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 48 | 34 | 9 | |
| 2006–07 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 27 | 13 | 11 | |
| 2007–08 La Liga 2007-08 -League table:||rowspan=2 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=7 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|-Results:... |
18 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 18 | 3 | |
| 2008–09 La Liga 2008-09 -Personnel and sponsoring: FC Barcelona have no shirt sponsors, instead choosing to sport the logo of humanitarian organisation, UNICEF. Barcelona donates five million euros every year to the organisation and wears the organisation's logo on its jersey.... |
36 | 30 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 52 | 36 | 6 | |
| Total | 145 | 108 | 20 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 41 | 18 | 9 | 200 | 130 | 35 | |
| Internazionale F.C. Internazionale Milano Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always... |
2009–10 | 32 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 48 | 16 | 7 |
| 2010–11 | 35 | 21 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 53 | 37 | 15 | |
| Total | 67 | 33 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 24 | 10 | 7 | 101 | 53 | 22 | |
| Anzhi Makhachkala FC Anzhi Makhachkala FC Anzhi Makhachkala is a Russian football club based in Makhachkala, capital of the Republic of Dagestan, which plays in the Russian Premier League. The word "Anzhi" is part of Anzhi-Qala the old name of Makhachkala.-History:The club was founded in 1991 and has played in the Russian league since... |
2011–12 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 345 | 196 | 36 | 34 | 18 | 0 | 79 | 35 | 16 | 474 | 253 | 57 | |
|-
|1997||3||1
|-
|1998||5||0
|-
|1999||1||0
|-
|2000||9||5
|-
|2001||9||2
|-
|2002||13||5
|-
|2003||7||2
|-
|2004||9||4
|-
|2005||6||1
|-
|2006||5||5
|-
|2007||3||1
|-
|2008||11||11
|-
|2009||8||5
|-
|2010||12||8
|-
|2011||9||4
|-
!Total||109||54
|}
Club
Mallorca- Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
(1): 2003
Barcelona
- La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
(3): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09La Liga 2008-09-Personnel and sponsoring: FC Barcelona have no shirt sponsors, instead choosing to sport the logo of humanitarian organisation, UNICEF. Barcelona donates five million euros every year to the organisation and wears the organisation's logo on its jersey.... - Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
(1): 20092009 Copa del Rey FinalThe 2009 Copa del Rey Final was the 105th final of the Spanish cup competition, the Copa del Rey. The final was played at Mestalla in Valencia on 13 May 2009. The match was won by FC Barcelona, who beat Athletic Bilbao 4 – 1... - Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
(2): 20052005 Supercopa de EspañaThe 2005 Supercopa de España was a two-leg Spanish football match played on 13 and 20 August 2005.It contested by league champions FC Barcelona and cup-winners Real Betis. FC Barcelona won 4–2 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second leg:-References:...
, 20062006 Supercopa de EspañaThe 2006 Supercopa de España was a two-leg Spanish football match played on 17 and 20 August 2006.It was contested by league champions FC Barcelona and cup-winners RCD Espanyol . FC Barcelona won 4–0 on aggregate.-First leg:... - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
(2): 2005–062006 UEFA Champions League FinalThe 2006 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Barcelona of Spain and Arsenal of England at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, France, on Wednesday, 17...
, 2008–092009 UEFA Champions League FinalThe 2009 UEFA Champions League Final was played on 27 May 2009 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. The match determined the winners of the 2008–09 season of the UEFA Champions League, a tournament for the top football clubs in Europe. The match was won by Barcelona of Spain, who beat England's...
Internazionale
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
(1): 2009–10 - Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
(2): 2010, 20112011 Coppa Italia FinalThe 2011 Coppa Italia Final was the final match of the 2010–11 Coppa Italia, the 63rd season of the top cup competition in Italian football. The match was played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 29 May 2011 between Internazionale and Palermo. Internazionale won by 3–1 to retain the trophy.-Road to... - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
(1): 20102010 Supercoppa Italiana- References :... - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
Runner Up: (1) 20112011 Supercoppa Italiana- References :... - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
(1): 2009–102010 UEFA Champions League FinalThe 2010 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid, on Saturday, 22 May 2010, to determine the winners of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League. It was the first Champions League final to be played on a Saturday, rather than the... - FIFA Club World CupFIFA Club World CupThe FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...
(1): 20102010 FIFA Club World Cup FinalThe 2010 FIFA Club World Cup Final was the final match of the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup, a football tournament for the champion clubs from each of FIFA's six continental confederations. The match took place at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, on 18 December 2010, and pitted African champions TP...
International
Cameroon- African Cup of NationsAfrican Cup of NationsThe Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Cup of Nations or African Nations Cup, officially CAN , is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football , and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been...
(2): 20002000 African Cup of NationsThe 2000 African Cup of Nations was the 22nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa . It was co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria, who jointly replaced Zimbabwe as host. Just like in 1998, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four...
, 2002 - 2011 Marrakech LG Cup
Cameroon Olympic Team
- Olympic Gold MedalSummer Olympic GamesThe Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
(1): 2000Football at the 2000 Summer OlympicsThe football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...
Individual
- Young African Player of the YearCAF AwardsThe CAF Awards is an awards evening held to honour the best African football players. It is conferred by the Confederation of African Football .-CAF Young Player of the Year:-CAF Coach of the Year:-African Inter-Club Team of the Year:...
: 2000 - African Player of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010
- ESM Team of the Year: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008-09, 2010–11
- FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006
- UEFA Team of the YearUEFA Team of the YearThe UEFA Team of the Year is a football award given by UEFA through a poll on its . This award started in 2001 to allow users and visitors of the organization's website to choose their own eleven players and a coach based on their overall performances in European club football and international...
: 2005, 2006 - African Cup of Nations Top ScorerAfrican Cup of NationsThe Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Cup of Nations or African Nations Cup, officially CAN , is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football , and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been...
: 2006, 2008 - UEFA Champions League Best ForwardUEFA Club Football AwardsThe UEFA Club Football Awards are awards given by UEFA to the most outstanding performers of the European club football season. The awards were presented in August each year at a special gala in Monaco ahead of the UEFA Super Cup. Since 2005, the awards are presented at the UEFA Champions League draw...
: 2006 - La Liga Top ScorerLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 2006 - African Cup of Nations All-Time Top ScorerAfrican Cup of NationsThe Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Cup of Nations or African Nations Cup, officially CAN , is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football , and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been...
- RCD Mallorca All-Time Top ScorerRCD MallorcaReal Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix....
- Cameroon All-Time Top ScorerCameroon national football teamThe Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
- 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year2005 FIFA World Player of the YearThe 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year prize was awarded to the Brazilian Ronaldinho for the second year in succession, also claiming the highest point total ever, surpassing Rivaldo. He finished ahead of Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard and his Barcelona teammate Samuel Eto'o in the final round of...
Third - UEFA Champions League Final Man of the Match 2006
- FIFA Club World CupFIFA Club World CupThe FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...
– Golden Ball 2010 - CAF Starting XI in the Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2006