By Pratik Dogra
Samuel Eto’o is easily one of the world’s best natural strikers today. Blessed with lightning speed, a deadly shooting techniques and a clinical finishing, Eto’o is a petrifying prospect for even the best of defenders. During his time with Real Mallorca Eto’o became the highest league scorer in the history of the club, finding the back of the net a staggering 54 goals.
"I doubt if there is any other player in the world who would please the fans more at this moment," his club president at Mallorca said of him.
His ability to score goals together with his impressive ball control skills attracted the interest of one of the Europe’s finest clubs, Barcelona, where with the likes of Messi. Ronaldhino, Henry, he has dazzled soccer fans with his raw talent.
Eto’o landed in Barcelona in the summer of 2004 from rivals Real Madrid, for an impressive transfer fee of £24 million. Since his debut for Barcelona in August 2004 he quickly became an integral part of the first team. In 2006, he won the title of ‘Pichichi’, i.e. the top scorer in La Liga, after scoring a goal in Barcelona’s last match of the season as the Nou Camp team went on to capture it’s second consecutive La Liga title.
Playing for the Catalan giants also provided Eto’o with an opportunity to showcase his skills at the highest level by competing in the European Champions League. Samuel Eto’o proved his versatility as he moved from the central striker role onto both wings on separate occasions in to outwit teams who break the man-to-man marking strategy the other teams tried to apply on Barca’s front line. Eto’o’s adaptability means that he can create goal scoring chances for his team mates whilst scoring them himself. In the 2005-2006 season Samuel Eto’o became the first La Liga player in this decade to score over 50 goals in two seasons.
Eto'o also played a stellar role in Barca’s 2005-06 Champions League campaign, scoring six goals enabling Catalans to lift the trophy. In the finals, after Arsenal had raced away to an early lead, it was Eto'o who netted home the equaliser in the 76th minute. Barcelona eventually won the match 2-1, with Eto'o taking home the UEFA Best Forward of the Year .
Samuel Eto’o made his debut for the Cameroon national team at the tender age of 15 years. He was the youngest player at the 1998 FIFA World Cup at 17 years and 3 months.
He received the African Footballer of the year in 2003, 2004 and 2005 becoming the first player to win complete the hat-trick since its inception. A down to earth character of the field, he dedicated the award to ‘all the children of Africa’. He was has the distinction to be selected to his second straight FIFPro World XI and finishing 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.
In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations on currently, Eto'o became leading goalscorer in the competition's history, scoring his 15th Cup of Nations goal against Sudan when he converted a 28th minute penalty. He added another goal in tha same match to take his tally to 16.
Eto’o’s tremendous work ethic coupled with his natural ability make a player of international quality and a force to be reckoned with. A vocal advocator of the anti- racism campaign, he is among the rare breed of players who can single-handedly turn the game on its head and is widely respected by the football fans and players worldwide.
