Samuel Eto'o facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samuel Eto'o
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Eto'o in 2011
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| President of Cameroonian Football Federation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 11 December 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Seidou Mbombo Njoya | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born |
Samuel Eto'o Fils
10 March 1981 Douala, Cameroon |
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| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Footballer Football administrator |
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Association football career
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Samuel Eto'o Fils was born on March 10, 1981. He is a famous Cameroonian football player who is now a football leader. He is currently the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation.
Samuel Eto'o won the award for African Footballer of the Year four times. This is a record! He won it in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010.
Eto'o was a very talented young player. He joined Real Madrid when he was only 16. He later moved to Mallorca in 2000. There, he scored 70 goals, which was a club record.
His amazing skills led him to Barcelona in 2004. He scored 130 goals in five seasons there. He also became the African player with the most appearances in La Liga, Spain's top football league. He helped Barcelona win La Liga three times. He was a key player when Barcelona won the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. Eto'o scored in that final. He also scored in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final, helping his team win again. He is only the second player ever to score in two different UEFA Champions League finals.
After Barcelona, he joined Inter Milan in 2009. He made history by winning two European "trebles" in a row. A treble means winning the league, the main cup, and the Champions League in one season. He won one with Barcelona and then another with Inter Milan. He is one of only four players to win the Champions League two years in a row with different teams.
Eto'o also played for the Cameroon national team. He won a Gold Medal at the 2000 Olympics. He also helped Cameroon win the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000 and 2002. He played in four World Cups and six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He is the top scorer in Africa Cup of Nations history with 18 goals. He is also Cameroon's all-time leading scorer with 56 goals. He stopped playing international football in 2014.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Early Career: Real Madrid and Loans
Samuel Eto'o started his training at the Kadji Sports Academy in Cameroon. In 1997, he joined Real Madrid's youth team. Because he was still young, he could only train with the B team. He was loaned to Leganés for the 1997–98 season. He played 30 games there and scored four goals. He then had a short loan spell at Espanyol in 1999.
Success at Mallorca
In 2000, Eto'o joined Mallorca on loan. He quickly scored six goals in 19 games. Mallorca then bought him permanently for a club record fee. In his second season, he scored 11 goals. People all over the league started to notice him.
Eto'o showed his love for the fans. He gave money to help Mallorca supporters travel to the Copa del Rey final in 2003. Mallorca won the match 3–0, with Eto'o scoring two goals. He also scored in two games against his old club, Real Madrid. These wins helped Mallorca, and one even stopped Real Madrid from winning the league.
Joining Barcelona
In 2004, Eto'o moved to Barcelona. He left Mallorca as their all-time top league scorer with 54 goals. Barcelona paid €24 million for him.
He made his first appearance for Barcelona on August 29, 2004. After Barcelona won the 2004–05 La Liga title, Eto'o celebrated with the fans. He later apologized for some of his strong words about Real Madrid. He signed a better contract with Barcelona in 2005.
Winning the Pichichi and Champions League
Eto'o won the Pichichi Trophy in 2006. This award is for the top scorer in La Liga. He scored 26 goals that season. He said it was a team effort, even though only one person gets the award.
He also scored six goals in Barcelona's journey to win the 2005–06 Champions League title. In the final, he scored the goal that tied the game. Barcelona went on to win 2–1. Eto'o was named the UEFA Best Forward of the Year.
That season, he also won his third straight African Player of the Year award. He said he dedicated the award to all the children of Africa. He was also chosen for the FIFPro World XI team for the second time. He finished third in the FIFA World Player of the Year award. This made him only the second African player to be in the top three.
In September 2006, Eto'o got a knee injury. This kept him out of action for several months. He started training again in January 2007.
More Trophies and the Treble
In 2007, Eto'o had a small disagreement with his coach about coming on as a substitute. But he continued to play well for Barcelona. He became a Spanish citizen in October 2007.
When Pep Guardiola became Barcelona's new manager in 2008, he wanted to make some changes. Eto'o stayed with the club and had an amazing season. He scored his first league "hat-trick" (three goals in one game) in February 2008.
On October 25, Eto'o scored the fastest hat-trick in Barcelona's history. He scored three goals in just 23 minutes! A few games later, he scored four goals in the first half of a match. By November 2008, he had scored his 111th goal for Barcelona. This put him in the club's top ten all-time goal scorers.
Eto'o scored the first goal in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final against Manchester United. Barcelona won the final 2–0. This win meant Barcelona completed the "Treble." They won the league, the main cup, and the Champions League all in one season. Eto'o, Lionel Messi, and Thierry Henry together scored 100 goals that historic year.
Moving to Inter Milan
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In July 2009, Eto'o moved to Inter Milan in Italy. He signed a five-year contract. He said he was happy to be there and didn't want to compare himself to other players.
He scored in his first game for Inter Milan in August 2009. He also scored in his first Serie A match. Eto'o scored his first two goals in a Serie A game in October 2009. In December, he finished fifth in the voting for the Ballon d'Or award.
Eto'o scored his first Champions League goal for Inter in December 2009. He also scored the winning goal against Chelsea in the Champions League round of 16. Inter won the Coppa Italia in May 2010. His 12 goals in Serie A helped Inter win the league title.
On May 22, 2010, Eto'o played in his third Champions League final. Inter won 2–0 against Bayern Munich. With this win, Eto'o became the only player to win the "treble" in two seasons in a row with different teams.
More Trophies and Leaving Inter
In August 2010, Eto'o scored two goals as Inter won the Supercoppa Italiana. He scored his first hat-trick for Inter in the Champions League in September 2010. In December, Eto'o played in the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup. He scored in the final as Inter won 3–0. He was named the best player of the tournament.
Eto'o continued to play very well in the 2010–11 season. In March 2011, he helped Inter beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Inter's president said that getting Eto'o was a great deal for the club. In May, Eto'o scored two goals in the Coppa Italia final. This brought his total goals for the season to 37, a new record for him.
In August 2011, Eto'o announced he was leaving Inter Milan.
Later Career and Retirement
On August 23, 2011, Eto'o joined the Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala. He signed a three-year deal. This made him the highest-paid player in the world at the time. He scored an equalizer in his first game for Anzhi.
In August 2013, Eto'o signed a one-year deal with the English club Chelsea. He scored his first goal for Chelsea in October 2013. In November, he scored twice in a Champions League game. In January 2014, he scored his first "Premier League hat-trick" against Manchester United. This was his 300th goal in his club career.
After his contract with Chelsea ended, Eto'o joined Everton in August 2014. He scored in his first game for Everton against Chelsea. He left Everton halfway through his first season.
On January 27, 2015, Eto'o returned to Italy to play for Sampdoria. In June 2015, he moved to the Turkish team Antalyaspor. He scored two goals in his first game there. He even became the interim player-manager for the team for a short time.
He later joined Konyaspor in Turkey in January 2018. In August 2018, he signed with Qatar SC in Qatar.
On September 7, 2019, Samuel Eto'o announced that he was retiring from football.
International Career
Eto'o played his first game for Cameroon just before his 16th birthday in March 1997. In 1998, he was the youngest player at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He scored his only goal of the 2002 FIFA World Cup against Saudi Arabia.
Eto'o was part of the Cameroon teams that won the 2000 and 2002 Africa Cup of Nations. He also won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. In the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, he scored the winning goal against Brazil.
In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Eto'o became the all-time leading goal scorer in the tournament's history. He scored 16 goals in total for the Cup of Nations. He was the top scorer in the tournament for the second time in a row.
Eto'o helped Cameroon qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He scored a goal in Cameroon's World Cup game against Denmark. However, Cameroon lost and was eliminated. Eto'o called this the biggest disappointment of his career. In December 2010, he became the first person to be named African Player of the Year four times.
In 2011, Eto'o was suspended for 15 games by the Cameroonian Football Federation. This was because the team refused to play a friendly match. The ban was later reduced to eight months. He announced his retirement from international football in August 2014.
How Samuel Eto'o Played
Eto'o was a very fast, strong, and energetic forward. He was known for his great stamina and hard work. He was good at heading the ball and scoring with both his head and feet. He was a powerful goal scorer with good technique.
He usually played as a central striker. But he was also a team player. When he was at Inter Milan, he sometimes played as a winger or even an attacking midfielder. He would help his team by linking up play and working hard to defend.
Many experts believe Eto'o was one of the best strikers in the world during his best years. He is seen as one of the greatest African players of all time. He is often compared to other great African strikers like George Weah and Didier Drogba.
Even as he got older, he kept scoring goals. He was good at finding the right positions and timing his runs. He was also known for his first touch, close control of the ball, and passing skills. He even had a fun goal celebration where he pretended to be an old man with a cane!
President of Cameroon Football Federation
On December 11, 2021, Samuel Eto'o was chosen as the President of the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT). In September 2024, he received a six-month ban from attending Cameroon international games. This was because of an incident at a football match in Colombia.
World Cup 2022 Ambassador
Eto'o was chosen as an Ambassador for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. After a match, he was filmed in a small argument with a man. It did not seem to cause any serious injury.
Personal Life
Samuel Eto'o grew up in a suburb of Yaoundé, Cameroon. He has two brothers, David and Étienne, who also play football. Eto'o has four children: Maelle, Étienne, Siena, and Lynn. He married his longtime girlfriend, Georgette, in 2007. He became a Spanish citizen in October 2007.
In November 2020, Eto'o was in a car accident, but he was not hurt. In November 2015, he was given the title of paramount chief in a chiefdom in Sierra Leone. He was visiting the country for a health program. He also supports the French football club Paris Saint-Germain.
Facing Racism
Samuel Eto'o experienced racism during some of his away matches. He is one of many famous players who have spoken out against this problem. He even threatened to leave the field in protest.
In February 2005, during a match in Spain, some fans made monkey noises at Eto'o. Two people were caught and banned from sports events for five months. Eto'o felt the punishment was not strong enough. The next season, he tried to walk off the field again because of racist chants. His teammates convinced him to keep playing.
Because of the racism, Eto'o stopped bringing his family to matches. He said it was hard to explain such things to children. He believes players, leaders, and the media must work together to stop racism in football.
In October 2010, a game in Italy was stopped because some fans were making racist chants towards Eto'o. After the game started again, other fans in the stadium cheered loudly to try and stop the racist chants. Inter went on to win the game, with Eto'o scoring a goal.
Honours and Awards
Mallorca
- Copa del Rey: 2002–03 (Spanish Cup)
Barcelona
- La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09 (Spanish League)
- Copa del Rey: 2008–09 (Spanish Cup)
- Supercopa de España: 2005, 2006 (Spanish Super Cup)
- UEFA Champions League: 2005–06, 2008–09 (Europe's top club competition)
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2009–10 (Italian League)
- Coppa Italia: 2009–10, 2010–11 (Italian Cup)
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2010 (Italian Super Cup)
- UEFA Champions League: 2009–10 (Europe's top club competition)
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2010 (World club competition)
Cameroon U23
- Olympic Gold Medal: 2000 (Football at the Sydney Olympics)
Cameroon
- African Cup of Nations: 2000, 2002 (Africa's top national team competition)
Individual Awards
- Young African Player of the Year: 2000
- African Player of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010 (Record four times!)
- ESM Team of the Year: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11
- FIFA World Player of the Year Bronze Award: 2005 (Third best player in the world)
- FIFA FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006 (World's best team)
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2005, 2006
- CAF Team of the Year: 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
- Pichichi Trophy: 2005–06 (Top scorer in Spanish La Liga)
- UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2005–06
- African Cup of Nations top goalscorer: 2006, 2008
- UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2006
- FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2010 (Best player at the Club World Cup)
- Coppa Italia top goalscorer: 2010–11
- Russian Premier League MVP Award: 2012–13
- Golden Foot: 2015
- Globe Soccer Player Career Award: 2016
- IFFHS All-time Africa Men's Dream Team: 2021
- Inter Milan Hall of Fame: 2021
Records
- African Cup of Nations all-time top goalscorer
- RCD Mallorca all-time top goalscorer
- Cameroon all-time top goalscorer
Images for kids
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Eto'o in 2011
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Eto'o celebrating a goal for Barcelona in December 2005
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Eto'o during the 2008 Joan Gamper Trophy
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Eto'o holding off Patrice Evra of Manchester United in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final
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Eto’o playing for Inter Milan in August 2009
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Eto'o playing in the UEFA Champions League with Inter Milan, a competition he would win for the third time in his career
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Eto'o with Anzhi Makhachkala in a Russian Cup game in September 2011
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Eto'o playing for Chelsea in 2014
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Eto'o playing for Cameroon in 2009. He is their all-time leading scorer with 56 goals.
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In his prime Eto'o was extremely quick and possessed excellent dribbling ability with close ball control
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Eto'o and Juliano Belletti celebrate winning the 2005–06 La Liga with Barcelona
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See also
In Spanish: Samuel Eto'o para niños
