Samuel Eto'o Fils (French pronunciation:[samɥɛletofis]; born 10 March 1981) is a Cameroonianfootball administrator and formerplayer who is the current president of theCameroonian Football Federation. He is often regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time and one of the greatest African players of all time.[6]
A precocious talent, Eto'o moved toReal Madrid as a 16 year old. Due to competition in his position with more experienced players, he had several loan spells, before signing forMallorca in 2000 where he scored 70 goals, aclub record.[7] His impressive form saw him joinBarcelona in 2004 where he scored 130 goals in five seasons and also became the record holder for the most appearances by an African player inLa Liga.[8] Winning La Liga three times, he was a key member of the Barcelona attack, alongsideRonaldinho, that won the2006 UEFA Champions League Final, with Eto'o scoring in the final, and was part of a front three ofLionel Messi andThierry Henry that won the2009 UEFA Champions League Final, with Eto'o again scoring in the final. He is the second player in history to score in twoUEFA Champions League finals.[9] At Barcelona, Eto'o came in third for theFIFA World Player of the Year in2005 and was twice named in theFIFA FIFPro World XI, in 2005 and 2006.
Having trained at theKadji Sports Academy in Cameroon, Eto'o joinedReal Madrid's youth academy in 1997, but he could only train withReal Madrid B, as he was still a minor.[13] Real Madrid B were relegated to the third tier,Segunda División B, where non-EU players are not allowed, and as a result, he was loaned to second divisionLeganés for the 1997–98 season.[14] 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 toEspanyol,[15] but made only one appearance for the club, againstReal Valladolid inCopa del Rey.
Mallorca
The next season, in the winter transfer window, he transferred toLa Liga teamMallorca on loan, where he scored 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. 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." Eto'o himself commented on his rise to stardom, "I like it here inMallorca; 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 theCopa del Rey final againstRecreativo de Huelva in 2003. Mallorca won the match 3–0, with Eto'o scoring two late goals to seal the victory. Eto'o also scored in two consecutive away wins against his former clubReal Madrid: the first, a 1-5 thrashing, the only home loss of the Madrilenian club who went to win the2002-03 La Liga.;[16] the second ended with a 2-3 result thatdenied a back-to-back La Liga win for Real.[17]
Barcelona
2004–07: Transfer, Pichichi Trophy and first Champions League title
Eto'o celebrating a goal forBarcelona in December 2005
Eto'o departed Mallorca as the club's all-time leading domestic league scorer (54 goals) when he signed forBarcelona in the summer of 2004 for a transfer fee of €24 million, after lengthy, three-way negotiations with Mallorca and Madrid.[18] Initially, Real Madrid PresidentFlorentino 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.[19] Additionally, the team already had its full quota of three non-EU players.[18]
Eto'o made his Barcelona debut in the season opener atRacing de Santander on 29 August 2004. After Barcelona won the2004–05 La Liga title, the team organized a festive party in theCamp Nou, during which Eto'o harangued the fans chanting, "Madrid, cabrón, saluda al campeón" (English for, "Madrid, bastards, salute the champions"). TheRoyal 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."[20] He signed an improved contract with Barcelona in June 2005.[21]
After missing out on the previous year'sPichichi trophy, which is given to the top scorer in La Liga, Eto'o edged outValencia strikerDavid Villa for the award during the final matchday on 20 May 2006 when he scored his 26th goal of the season againstAthletic 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."[22]
Eto'o also contributed six goals during Barcelona's run to the2005–06 Champions League title. Inthe final,Arsenal goalkeeperJens Lehmann wassent off early on for bringing down Eto'o just outside 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.[23][24]
Eto'o also won an historic third consecutiveAfrican Player of the Year award that season. He said in his acceptance speech, "Above all, I dedicate this to all the children of Africa."[25] He was also selected to his second straightFIFPro World XI and finished third in the running for theFIFA World Player of the Year, making him only the second African footballer ever, after the Liberian starGeorge Weah, to be voted into the top three.[26][27]
The season started badly for Eto'o, as he ruptured themeniscus in his right knee during Barcelona's Champions League group stage match againstWerder 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.[28] After the operation, Eto'o's recovery time was extended to five months, but he resumed training with Barcelona in early January 2007.[29][30]
Eto'o refused to come on as a substitute in a league match againstRacing de Santander on 11 February 2007. Barcelona managerFrank Rijkaard said after the match, "He did not want to come on; I don't know why."[31]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.[32][33] 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 PresidentJoan Laporta was quick to quash rumours of transfers involving Eto'o and Ronaldinho.[34]
After aggravating a meniscus injury on 28 August during a summer friendly againstInter Milan, Eto'o was sidelined indefinitely.[35] On 17 October, in the midst of his recovery period, he gained Spanish citizenship.[36] He was cleared to play again on 4 December, and returned to the side a week later in Barcelona's 2–1 league win overDeportivo de La Coruña.[37][38]
Pep Guardiola was appointed as Barcelona's new manager for the2008–09 season. The coach made headlines by announcing that stars such as Ronaldinho,Deco, and Eto'o were not part of his plans; Eto'o ultimately remained with the club, while the other two players departed, although Eto'o and Guardiola had several reported disagreements throughout the season.[39][40] Eto'o recorded his first leaguehat-trick in a match againstLevante on 24 February 2008.[41] He finished with a total of 16 league goals in 18 appearances for the season.[42]
On 25 October, Eto'o recorded the fastest hat-trick in club history after netting three times in 23 minutes in a victory overAlmería.[43] Only two games later, on 8 November 2008, Eto'o scored four goals in the first half of Barcelona's game againstReal 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 overSevilla, moving him into the club's top ten all-time goalscorers.[44]
On 14 February 2009, he scored his 99th and his 100th league goals for Barcelona in a 2–2 draw withReal 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 againstVillarreal in the game that put Barcelona one point away from lifting the2008–09 La Liga trophy. He scored 30 goals in the season, finishing second in the Pichichi Trophy goalscorers list behind Atlético de Madrid'sDiego Forlán.
AfterMaxwell completed the transfer from Inter Milan, Joan Laporta confirmed that there was an agreement in principle between Barcelona and Inter Milan forZlatan Ibrahimović to join the club in exchange for Eto'o and €46 million.[46][47] After Ibrahimović agreed terms with Barcelona, the club announced Eto'o would travel toMilan for his medical to complete the transfer.[48]
On 27 July 2009, Eto'o passed his medical and signed for five years with Inter.[49] 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."[50] On 8 August, Eto'oscored on his competitive debut in the2009 Supercoppa Italiana as Inter lost 1–2 toLazio.[51] Two weeks later, Eto'o scoredfrom the penalty spot againstBari in his firstSerie A match.[52] In the following match, theDerby della Madonnina againstMilan, Eto'o won Inter a penalty after being brought down byGennaro Gattuso in the box; Milito scored the penalty and Gattuso was yellow carded and eventually sent off. Inter won the match 4–0.[53] Eto'o scored again on 13 September againstParma, his first goal from open play in a Serie A match.[54]
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 £17.7 million (US$29 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.[55]
Eto'o playing in theUEFA Champions League with Inter Milan, a competition he would win for the third time in his career
Eto'o scored his first Serie A brace on 29 October during a 5–3 win overPalermo, withMario Balotelli also scoring twice.[56] On 1 December 2009, Eto'o finished fifth in voting for theBallon d'Or, which was won by his former Barcelona teammateLionel Messi.[57] Eight days later, he scored his firstUEFA Champions League goal for the team in the finalGroup F match againstRubin Kazan to help Inter win 2–0 at home and progress to the knockout stage as runner-ups.[58] Eto'o continued to be a protagonist for Inter in Europe, netting the winner in the second leg of2009–10 UEFA Champions League round of 16 againstChelsea on 16 March 2010, which allowed Inter to progress to the quarter-finals.[59] He scored his first goal inCoppa Italia on 13 April againstFiorentina in the second of semi-finals to help Inter win 1–0 atStadio Artemio Franchi and progress in the final 2–0 on aggregate.[60] Eto'o won his first silverware with the club on 5 May as Inter defeatedRoma 1–0 atStadio Olimpico to lift the Coppa Italia.[61] His 12 Serie A goals helped Inter claim another championship, the fifth consecutive, after defeatingSiena in the final matchday.[62] On 22 May 2010, Eto'o played in the thirdChampions League final of his career, as Inter won 2–0 overBayern Munich to win the first title in 45 years; Milito scored both goals, with Eto'o setting up the second.[63] With Inter's triumph over Bayern Munich, he became the only player to win thetreble in consecutive seasons with two different teams.[64]
2010–11: Most goals in one season, more trophies and departure
On 21 August 2010, Eto'o scored twice as Inter beat Roma 3–1 to win theSupercoppa Italiana.[65] His first hat trick for Interoccurred in the UEFA Champions League against Werder Bremen on 29 September 2010.[66] Inter 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."[67] In December, Eto'o played in the2010 FIFA Club World Cup;[68] he scored againstTP Mazembe in thefinal as Inter won 3–0 and lifted their fifth trophy of the year.[69] Additionally, he was named the best player of the tournament.[70]
Continuing his outstanding form in Serie A and in the Champions League for the2010–11 campaign, he was pivotal to Inter's attack line.[71] On 16 March 2011, Eto'o gave a legendary performance inMunich as he helped Inter 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, and provided two clinical assists toWesley Sneijder and toGoran Pandev for the winner.[72] After the game, Inter PresidentMassimo 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 Ibrahimović, 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 thefinal of the Coppa Italia against Palermo to help Inter win 3–1 and taking his total season goals to 37, a new record high for him.[73]
On 25 August 2011, Eto'o announced his departure from Inter Milan via an open letter to the fans.[74]
On 23 August 2011, Russian clubAnzhi Makhachkala reached an agreement with Inter to sign Eto'o in a three-year deal that made him the world's highest-paid player, with a salary of €20 million (after taxes) per season.[75][76] Eto'o made his debut for Anzhi on 27 August 2011 againstRostov when he came on as a substitute with 30 minutes left in the game, later scoring an equalizer in the 80th minute from a cross byYuri Zhirkov.[77] Eto'o scored the opening goal in a 5–3 defeat[78] at home toCSKA Moscow[79] leaving his side four points aboveKrasnodar with only two games left for qualification to theChampionship Group.
At the end of the2012–13 Russian Premier League, Eto'o made it to the Top 33 players of the Season list as the #1 Right Striker.[80] Anzhi's billionaire ownerSuleyman Kerimov shocked the Russian football world by deciding in August 2013 to scale down the club's ambitions and drastically shrink its budget.[81] As a result, almost all of the star players, previously signed in a bid to make the club world-beaters, were available on the transfer market.[82]
Chelsea
Eto'o playing for Chelsea in 2014
On 29 August 2013, Eto'o signed a one-year deal with EnglishPremier League club Chelsea for an undisclosed fee.[83] He scored his first goal for Chelsea on 19 October 2013 againstCardiff City, in which he gave Chelsea the lead.[84] In Chelsea's homeChampions League match againstSchalke 04 on 6 November, Eto'o scored twice in a 3–0 victory.[85] In Eto'o's first league start of 2014, on 19 January, he scored his firstPremier League hat-trick for Chelsea, earning the Blues a 3–1 victory over Manchester United atStamford Bridge.[86] On 8 March, Eto'o opened scoring in Chelsea's 4–0 victory overTottenham Hotspur when defenderJan Vertonghen sent a backpass straight into his path. It was the 300th goal in his club career.[87]
In the second leg of Chelsea's Champions Leagueround of 16 tie withGalatasaray, Eto'o gave the Blues a fourth-minute early lead with his tenth goal of the season, a match they would go on to win 2–0.[88] Eto'o continued his good form after scoring another early goal, in the fifth minute, againstArsenal on 22 March. However, he was then substituted after ten minutes forFernando Torres after picking up a slight injury; Chelsea went on to win the match 6–0.[89]
Everton
Eto'o's contract with Chelsea expired at the end of the2013–14 season,[90][91] and on 26 August 2014, he joined fellow EnglishPremier League sideEverton, signing a two-year contract.[92] He made his debut four days later, scoring one goal with a header in a 3–6 home defeat to Chelsea.[93] On 26 October, Eto'o bagged a brace for Everton, heading in the opening goal and curling in a strike from outside the area, as the Toffees defeatedBurnley 3−1.[94]
He stated that he wanted to win theUEFA Europa League with Everton, a tournament which he had never won before.[95] However, Eto'o left halfway through his first season at Everton, having scored four goals in 20 games across all competitions for them.[96]
Later career and retirement
On 27 January 2015, Eto'o returned to the Italian Serie A, joiningSampdoria on a two-and-a-half-year deal.[96]
On 25 June 2015, Eto'o moved to Turkish sideAntalyaspor on a three-year contract.[97] He made his debut on 15 August 2015 in aleague match againstİstanbul Başakşehir, scoring two goals and helping Antalyaspor win 3–2. Eto'o had a blistering start to the season, scoring 13 goals in his first 15 games, and was named the interim player-manager for the team after the previous coach,Yusuf Şimşek, was sacked on 7 December.[98] He continued in this capacity untilJosé Morais was hired as Şimşek's permanent replacement on 6 January 2016.[99]
On 31 January 2018, after leaving Antalyaspor by mutual consent, Eto'o joined league rivalsKonyaspor on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[100]
He signed forQatar SC in August 2018.[101] In February 2019 he said he wished to continue playing for a further year.[102]
On 7 September 2019, Eto'o announced his retirement from football.[103]
International career
Eto'o playing for Cameroon in 2009. He is their all-time leading scorer with 56 goals.
Eto'o earned his first cap withCameroon one day before his 16th birthday on 9 March 1997, in a 5–0 friendly loss toCosta Rica. In 1998, he was the youngest participant in the1998 FIFA World Cup when he appeared in a 3–0 group stage loss toItaly on 17 June 1998, at the age of 17 years and three months. Eto'o scored his sole goal of the2002 FIFA World Cup when he netted the game-winner againstSaudi 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 the2000 and2002 Africa Cup of Nations, and was a gold medalist at the2000 Summer Olympics. At the2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, in which Cameroon finished as runners-up, he scored his only goal in a 1–0 group stage upset ofBrazil on 19 June. Cameroon were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the2006 Africa Cup of Nations after Eto'o missed the decisive penalty in a 12–11 penalty shootout loss toIvory Coast 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 theCAFAfrican Footballer of the Year award ceremonies inTogo.
In the2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Eto'o became joint leading goalscorer (along withLaurent Pokou) in the competition's history after scoring his 14th goal with a penalty againstZambia on 26 January 2008. In the following game againstSudan, 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 hisCup of Nations tally to 16.[104] 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.[105] In the2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match againstGabon, Eto'o scored a goal in the 68th minute. He followed it up with another goal in the home fixture. He led the scoring chart with eight qualification goals. Eto'o scored in the World Cup qualification match againstMorocco to win Cameroon a spot in the2010 FIFA World Cup tournament. On 19 June 2010, Eto'o scored a goal in Cameroon's 2010 World Cup group stage match againstDenmark, from a mistake byChristian 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 namedAfrican Player of the Year for a fourth time.[106]
On 16 December 2011, Eto'o was suspended 15 games by theCameroonian Football Federation, after the team refused to play a friendly againstAlgeria earlier in the year.[107] The ban was reduced to eight months in January 2012, meaning Eto'o would only miss four competitive matches. The change was brought about after Cameroon PresidentPaul Biya asked officials to reconsider the controversial sanction.[108]
On 27 August 2012, Eto'o was in the squad to faceCape Verde in the first leg of aqualification play-off for the2013 Africa Cup of Nations, but the striker refused to play, as a protest against what he described as the "amateurish and poorly organised" national team set-up.[109] After an intervention from CameroonPrime MinisterPhilemon Yang, Eto'o agreed to return for the second leg.[110] However, Eto'o's return was not enough for Cameroon to overturn a 0–2 first leg deficit, and theIndomitable Lions failed to qualify for the Cup of Nations.
On 23 March 2013, Eto'o scored his first goal for Cameroon in 16 months with a penalty kick againstTogo in a2014 World Cup qualifier. He went on to score an 82nd minute winning goal in the same match, sending Cameroon to the top oftheir qualifying group. In November 2013, he captained the team in their 4–1 aggregate defeat ofTunisia in the play-off to secure World Cup qualification.[111] In June 2014, Eto'o was selected in Cameroon's squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup, becoming the third African to participate in four tournaments after compatriotsJacques Songo'o andRigobert Song.[112] After joining Everton, on 27 August 2014, Eto'o announced his retirement from international competition.[113]
Style of play
In his prime Eto'o was extremely quick and possessed excellentdribbling ability with close ball control
Eto'o was a fast, strong, and energeticforward, who was known for his stamina, work-rate, ability in the air, and his accurate finishing ability both with his head and feet.[114][115][116][117] A powerful and prolific goalscorer with good technique, composure in front of goal, and an ability to play off other forwards,[115][118] Eto'o was primarily deployed as a centralstriker, although he was also a team player; indeed, during his time at Inter, underJosé Mourinho, he demonstrated notable tactical intelligence and versatility by playing in several other positions on the pitch.[114][119] During Inter's 2009–10 treble-winning season, Eto'o played an important role in the squad, and was utilised as awinger or even as anattacking midfielder on the left flank in Mourinho's 4–2–3–1 formation, where he was primarily required to help his team creatively and defensively with his link-up play and work-rate off the ball, which frequently saw him to track back.[115][120][121][122][123] During the return leg of the Champions League semi-final match against his former club Barcelona, Eto'o further demonstrated his work-rate and versatility by playing as a makeshift right-sided attackingfull-back orwing-back followingThiago Motta's controversial sending-off.[119][122][123][124] Eto'o has also been renowned for his leadership, opportunism and mentality throughout his career.[124][125]
In his prime, Eto'o was regarded by pundits as one of the best strikers in the world;[126][122][119] he is currently regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time.[127] He is often ranked among the three greatest African strikers, alongsideGeorge Weah andDidier Drogba.[128][129] Despite losing some of his speed with age, he continued to maintain a consistent goalscoring rate as a striker, due to his ability to get into good positions and time his attacking runs, as shown by his goal in a 6–3 loss against Chelsea on 30 August 2014, during his time with Everton.[130] Beyond his speed and goalscoring, Eto'o was also known for his first touch, close control, and passing ability in his prime; even in his advancing age, he maintained hisdribbling skills in his later career, which he used to his advantage to beat defenders and assist or create chances for teammates.[122][131] In his mid-thirties Eto'o incorporated an ‘old man’ routine in hisgoal celebration – a response to jibes by José Mourinho about being too old – where he bent over and started walking slowly with an imaginary cane, with the celebration featuring in EA Sports’FIFA video gameFIFA 18.[132]
President of Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT)
On 11 December 2021, Eto'o was elected President of theCameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT).[1] In September 2024 he received a six month ban from attending Cameroon international games due to breaching the world governing body’s disciplinary code.[11] This came after charges were filed against him following an incident at a2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup match in Colombia betweenBrazil andCameroon.[133]
After the Brazil-South Korea match, he was filmed kneeing a man in the face after a confrontation. News reporters were unable to identify the man or reason behind the attack, which did not appear to cause any serious injury.[134]
Personal life
Eto'o is a native of Nkon, a suburb ofYaoundé. He has two brothers who are also footballers:David andÉtienne. Eto'o has four children: Maelle,Étienne, Siena and Lynn. He married his longtime sweetheart Georgette on 6 July 2007. Georgette is the mother of Siena and Lynn, who both live with her inParis.[135] On 17 October 2007, he earned hisSpanish passport.[136]
On 9 November 2020, Eto'o was involved in a car accident, when his4×4 had a head-on collision with a bus. It was said that Eto'o was unhurt from the accident. The driver of the bus tried to escape the scene before being apprehended and taken to a police station.[137]
Eto'o was crownedparamount chief inKaffu Bullom, a chiefdom inSierra Leone in November 2015. He was visiting Sierra Leone as part of the FIFA "11 for Health and 11 against Ebola" programme in the country.[138]
Eto'o experienced racial abuse in some away matches during his career. He is one of several high-profile contemporary players to have reacted to the abuse by threatening to leave the pitch and being outspoken in criticism of their experiences.
In February 2005, during an away match withReal Zaragoza, Eto'o was the subject of racist taunts by Zaragoza supporters, who began making monkey-like chants whenever he had possession of the ball. Referee Fernando Carmona Méndez, however, 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.[140][141] Eto'o later declared that the punishment was insufficient and thatLa Romareda should have been closed for at least one year, but his managerFrank Rijkaard, of Surinamese origin, told him to concentrate on football and stop talking about the incident. Infuriated again by Zaragoza fans' racist chants the following season, however, Eto'o attempted to walk off the pitch in protest.[142] His teammates intervened and convinced him to continue playing.
After experiencing regular racist abuse from sections of support in Spanish crowds, Eto'o stopped bringing family members to matches. He stated, "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."[143]
On 17 October 2010, in a Serie A game againstCagliari, after just three minutes of play, the referee halted the match to give a warning to some Cagliari fans who were singing racist chants towards Eto'o. After play was resumed, the rest of the stadium chanted loudly in an attempt to drown out the racist chants in order to avoid the match being suspended. Inter went on to win 1–0 with an Eto'o goal in the 39th minute.[144]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[145][146][147]
^abcAlessandro De Calò (22 July 2009)."Ma Eto'o è più forte di Ibra?" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport.Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved27 December 2016.
^Beaard, Raymond (20 August 2005)."FIFPro World XI 2004/2005".FIFPro World Players' Union. FIFPro.Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved11 January 2016.
^Beaard, Raymond (20 December 2013)."FIFPro World XI 2005/2006".FIFPro World Players' Union. FIFPro.Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved9 June 2015.
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