Samuel Eto'o - Celebrating an Elite Career

[SirBalon]

Samuel Eto'o has announced his retirement from football and I think we can safely say that he has to be the greatest African footballer of all time.

 

SAMUEL ETO'O - THE CAREER

• Real Madrid - 3 appearances 0 goals
• CD Leganés (loan) - 28 appearances 3 goals
• RCD Espanyol (loan) - 0 appearances 0 goals
• Real Mallorca - 133 appearances 54 goals
• FC Barcelona - 144 appearances 108 goals
• Internazionale - 67 appearances 33 goals
• Anzhi Makhachkala - 53 appearances 25 goals
• Chelsea FC - 21 appearances 9 goals
• Everton FC - 14 appearances 3 goals
• Sampdoria - 18 appearances 2 goals
• Antalyaspor - 76 appearances 44 goals
• Konyaspor - 13 appearances 6 goals
• Qatar SC - 17 appearances 6 goals

Total Professional Club Appearances and Goals: 587 appearances - 293 goals

 

international Career: Cameroon 118 caps 56 goals

 

Honours:

• 3 - La Liga titles (2005, 2006, 2009)
• 2 - Copa del Rey (2003, 2009)
• 2 - Supercopa de España (2005, 2006)
• 3 - UEFA Champions League (2006, 2009, 2010)
• 1 - FIFA Club World Cup (2010)
• 1 - Serie 'A' title (2010)
• 2 - Coppa Italia (2010, 2011)
• 1 - Supercoppa Italiana (2010)
• 2 - African Cup of Nations AFCON (2000, 2002)
• 1 - Olympic Gold Medal (2000)

Samuel Eto'o is also Real Mallorca and Cameroon's (NT) all-time top scorer

Samuel Eto'o is also the AFCON's all-time top scorer.

•  

[Spike]

Nah that was Drogba. Eto'o had a hatty against United though, I suppose that is okay.

[Guest]

It’s between Drogba. Weah or Eto’o but I honestly think Salah will have a say at the end of his career.

[SirBalon]

4 hours ago, Spike said:

Nah that was Drogba. Eto'o had a hatty against United though, I suppose that is okay.

 

3 hours ago, Grizzly21 said:

It’s between Drogba. Weah or Eto’o but I honestly think Salah will have a say at the end of his career.

What are we going on with this argument?

At least Weah has a Ballon d'Or I think, but are we looking at stats or are we going on emotions?

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

 

What are we going on with this argument?

At least Weah has a Ballon d'Or I think, but are we looking at stats or are we going on emotions?

I was too young to remember Drogba at his best, but Salah has done so much in his career and played for relatively weaker sides than Barcelona.

There is genuinely an argument that Eto'o wasn't even the best Cameroonian ever when you compare the likes of Roger Milla or anyone else from the 1990 side, but you would know more than me on that matter Antonio. I certainly cannot confirm that.

[SirBalon]

Just now, Grizzly21 said:

I was too young to remember Drogba at his best, but Salah has done so much in his career and played for relatively weaker sides than Barcelona.

There is genuinely an argument that Eto'o wasn't even the best Cameroonian ever when you compare the likes of Roger Milla or anyone else from the 1990 side, but you would know more than me on that matter Antonio. I certainly cannot confirm that.

Forget Salah mate... Let's not go mental here. He's not in the reckoning as there are others before him, plenty of others.

Roger Milla is a good shout and so are Abedi Pele, Kanouté, Marc-Vivien Foé, Finidi George, Noureddine Naybet, Daniel Amokachi, Rashidi Yekini, Seydou Keita, Lauren, Bruce Grobbelaar, Rabah Madjer, Thomas N'Kono, Yaya Touré, Jay-Jay Okocha, Michael Essien, Aboutrika, Nwanku Kanu.

But taking everything into account and with all due respects, Samuel Eto'o is at an elite level where his career is concerned that no other African footballer has managed in my opinion.

[Spike]

8 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

 

What are we going on with this argument?

At least Weah has a Ballon d'Or I think, but are we looking at stats or are we going on emotions?

Fuck yer awards n' stats. The BIG D styled on every team in every semi and full final, as well as causing every Arsenal fan in this mortal coil (and past) to have anal issues. 

• FOUR winning goals in FOUR FA Cup finals. All victories.
• FOUR goals in three League Cup finals. Two wins.
• A brace against Arsenal in the Community Shield.
• Tying goal and winning penalty in a UCL.
• Winning goal in the Turkish Super Cup.
• Highest scoring African player in England.
• Golden Boot in England twice (somehow Rooney was player of the year over him in 2010, but that doesn't matter)
• Player of the year in France.
• Onze d'or in 2004

Eto'o was the man at Barcelona but at Internazionle Milan he was second to Milito (who should have won the 2010 Balon d'or tied with Sneijder). 

[SirBalon]

13 minutes ago, Spike said:

Fuck yer awards n' stats. The BIG D styled on every team in every semi and full final, as well as causing every Arsenal fan in this mortal coil (and past) to have anal issues. 

• FOUR winning goals in FOUR FA Cup finals. All victories.
• FOUR goals in three League Cup finals. Two wins.
• A brace against Arsenal in the Community Shield.
• Tying goal and winning penalty in a UCL.
• Winning goal in the Turkish Super Cup.
• Highest scoring African player in England.
• Golden Boot in England twice (somehow Rooney was player of the year over him in 2010, but that doesn't matter)
• Player of the year in France.
• Onze d'or in 2004

Eto'o was the man at Barcelona but at Internazionle Milan he was second to Milito (who should have won the 2010 Balon d'or tied with Sneijder). 

It's not meaningless for any argument in appreciating Drogba but Drogba isn't even on the same planet as the significance of Samuel Eto'o for African football.

[Spike]

1 minute ago, SirBalon said:

It's not meaningless for any argument in appreciating Drogba but Drogba isn't even on the same planet as the significance of Samuel Eto'o for African football.

You're right, he is on a higher plane because he stopped the Ivorian Cival war with his 2006 speech. Checkmate.

[Carnivore Chris]

10 hours ago, Grizzly21 said:

I was too young to remember Drogba at his best, but Salah has done so much in his career and played for relatively weaker sides than Barcelona.

There is genuinely an argument that Eto'o wasn't even the best Cameroonian ever when you compare the likes of Roger Milla or anyone else from the 1990 side, but you would know more than me on that matter Antonio. I certainly cannot confirm that.

Playing in better sides at Barcelona didn't work for Coutinho, Sanchez, Cesc, etc. They all looked better when playing for weaker sides. It's more difficult to shine around better players if you ask me. It's alright playing around better players, but then you have to have the footballing intelligence to be able to understand and connect with these players. 

Eto'o was also class for Mallorca before Barcelona bought him and even helped them win the Copa del Rey.

10 hours ago, Spike said:

Fuck yer awards n' stats. The BIG D styled on every team in every semi and full final, as well as causing every Arsenal fan in this mortal coil (and past) to have anal issues. 

• FOUR winning goals in FOUR FA Cup finals. All victories.
• FOUR goals in three League Cup finals. Two wins.
• A brace against Arsenal in the Community Shield.
• Tying goal and winning penalty in a UCL.
• Winning goal in the Turkish Super Cup.
• Highest scoring African player in England.
• Golden Boot in England twice (somehow Rooney was player of the year over him in 2010, but that doesn't matter)
• Player of the year in France.
• Onze d'or in 2004

Eto'o was the man at Barcelona but at Internazionle Milan he was second to Milito (who should have won the 2010 Balon d'or tied with Sneijder). 

He was played well out of position at Inter though as I always remember joking in the final about how it looked as though he was playing left back. 

Mourinho's anti footballing tactics didn't help him at all, although he still didn't play badly. I remember him deciding the game against Chelsea in the same addition of the competition. 

[Spike]

2 hours ago, The Rebel CRS said:

Playing in better sides at Barcelona didn't work for Coutinho, Sanchez, Cesc, etc. They all looked better when playing for weaker sides. It's more difficult to shine around better players if you ask me. It's alright playing around better players, but then you have to have the footballing intelligence to be able to understand and connect with these players. 

Eto'o was also class for Mallorca before Barcelona bought him and even helped them win the Copa del Rey.

He was played well out of position at Inter though as I always remember joking in the final about how it looked as though he was playing left back. 

Mourinho's anti footballing tactics didn't help him at all, although he still didn't play badly. I remember him deciding the game against Chelsea in the same addition of the competition. 

Weird you would say that, because a budy of mine would joke that Drogba played left back under di Matteo

[Cicero]

15 hours ago, SirBalon said:

It's not meaningless for any argument in appreciating Drogba but Drogba isn't even on the same planet as the significance of Samuel Eto'o for African football.

 

15 hours ago, Spike said:

You're right, he is on a higher plane because he stopped the Ivorian Cival war with his 2006 speech. Checkmate.

Rinsed

[Mel81x+]

One thing I always remember about Eto'o was the control at high speeds that he possessed. You'd see him taking on defenders or even running towards goalkeepers and then he changes that pace so fast that the person on the other end has no idea what to do. Clinical and if I remember a joke from years back I think Iker Casillas once said he was glad when Eto'o left Barcelona because he hated playing against him.

[SirBalon]

1 hour ago, Cicero said:

 

Rinsed

Do you even know what that means? 

There is no debate where Drogba is concerned and I’ve taken it as Spike’s usual method to create something out of nothing. You can’t rinse what’s already clean and dry sunshine. 

[SirBalon]

14 minutes ago, Mel81x said:

One thing I always remember about Eto'o was the control at high speeds that he possessed. You'd see him taking on defenders or even running towards goalkeepers and then he changes that pace so fast that the person on the other end has no idea what to do. Clinical and if I remember a joke from years back I think Iker Casillas once said he was glad when Eto'o left Barcelona because he hated playing against him.

 

[Cicero]

43 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

Do you even know what that means? 

There is no debate where Drogba is concerned and I’ve taken it as Spike’s usual method to create something out of nothing. You can’t rinse what’s already clean and dry sunshine. 

You implied Eto'o was a bigger African figure than Drogba. Matter of fact, you implied Drogba wasn't even on the same planet as Eto'o. 

All at the same time conveniently forgetting the well known fact Drogba practically saved the Ivory Coast. To which his impact is now also being influenced on other countries. 

Hence me saying, you got rinsed. 

 

[SirBalon]

42 minutes ago, Cicero said:

You implied Eto'o was a bigger African figure than Drogba. Matter of fact, you implied Drogba wasn't even on the same planet as Eto'o. 

All at the same time conveniently forgetting the well known fact Drogba practically saved the Ivory Coast. To which his impact is now also being influenced on other countries. 

Hence me saying, you got rinsed. 

 

Who was ever speaking about "figures"?

I think in every single post I'm talking and state the word "footballer". This isn't a Nelson Mandela comparison thread mate.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, The Rebel CRS said:

Playing in better sides at Barcelona didn't work for Coutinho, Sanchez, Cesc, etc. They all looked better when playing for weaker sides. It's more difficult to shine around better players if you ask me. It's alright playing around better players, but then you have to have the footballing intelligence to be able to understand and connect with these players. 

Eto'o was also class for Mallorca before Barcelona bought him and even helped them win the Copa del Rey.

Salah won the CL and reached a final being the main star of the team.

Sanchez in my opinion, did shine at Barcelona. He just wasn't given a lot of game time, but he was excellent when he was put on the pitch.

[Spike]

I'd say nothing is more important to African football than preventing all the kids from being child soldier or otherwise murdered in war. 

[SirBalon]

7 hours ago, Spike said:

I'd say nothing is more important to African football than preventing all the kids from being child soldier or otherwise murdered in war. 

For god's sake mate... I'm talking ONLY about football which is why I laughed at your post in the emoticon... I genuinely thought it was a very smart joke from you but never contemplated you were really trying to sway my thought and decision on who's the better footballer by virtue of something they done where not related to a performance on a football pitch.

Let's keep this football and not politicise it.  There's enough political bollocks going on everywhere at the moment and I'm saturated. This is my escape!

If you want to open a thread on great social deeds accomplished by high profile sportsmen and women, then we can address that detail where it belongs.

[Spike]

3 hours ago, SirBalon said:

For god's sake mate... I'm talking ONLY about football which is why I laughed at your post in the emoticon... I genuinely thought it was a very smart joke from you but never contemplated you were really trying to sway my thought and decision on who's the better footballer by virtue of something they done where not related to a performance on a football pitch.

Let's keep this football and not politicise it.  There's enough political bollocks going on everywhere at the moment and I'm saturated. This is my escape!

If you want to open a thread on great social deeds accomplished by high profile sportsmen and women, then we can address that detail where it belongs.

I was joking.

I still think Drogba was better though.

[SirBalon]

4 hours ago, Spike said:

I was joking.

I still think Drogba was better though.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/1781781-the-50-greatest-african-players-of-all-time.amp.html

[Cicero]

That list also has Essien rated higher than Yaya Toure 

[SirBalon]

2 minutes ago, Cicero said:

That list also has Essien rated higher than Yaya Toure 

I know... Essien did have some tremendous years though. Every single list that’s been done has had Eto’o top or in the top three though.

[Cicero]

Just to clear the air, It’s Eto’o for me.