|
ACTUALITE |
28.01.2022
Favourite son Eto´o is pride of Cup of Nations host city Douala
Cameroon´s economic capital is a loud and chaotic port city, hot and humid.
It is here that the country´s Indomitable Lions will face Gambia in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals on Saturday as Cameroon come to Douala for the first time in the tournament having played their previous matches in Yaounde.
Eto´o, who also starred for Inter Milan and wore the number nine for his country, moved to Douala with his family from the capital as a young boy.
He was raised in an unremarkable house on a dusty street in New Bell, an impoverished district where the locals are only too happy to talk about the man who put their neighbourhood on the map.
"He grew up here but he was blessed by God," says Valentine, a 49-year-old caterer sheltering from the scorching mid-afternoon sun just across the street from the Eto´o family house.
"Eto´o has helped a lot of people in this neighbourhood. Recently he came back here and laid on food for everyone in New Bell."
IMMORTALISED
Just along the street is a bar where the exterior walls are decorated with pictures of the four-time African Footballer of the Year.
Nearby the moto-taxis that can make navigating the streets a hazardous task pass in front of a statue of Eto´o in the green, yellow and red of Cameroon, with whom he won the AFCON in 2000 and 2002.
Eto´o was just 20 when he led the Indomitable Lions to that second continental title and it would be another two years before he signed for Barcelona and teamed up with players including Ronaldinho and a very young Lionel Messi.
In Douala it was clear Eto´o was a special talent from a very young age.
"He was little, lively and loved football," recalls Jean Rene Noubissi, who took Eto´o under his wing as he was starting out at local side UCB.
"He calls me his first president. I helped oversee his development.
"When he played for UCB he scored goals in every game and I would give him a little bonus as a reward.
"Even then you could see the discipline he had. He believed in his potential and knew where he wanted to go."
The walls of Noubissi´s cramped office in the Akwa business district are covered in pictures of him with Eto´o, including one with Barcelona president Joan Laporta.
ROLE MODEL
Eto´o was on the books at Real Madrid and starred for Mallorca before joining Barcelona, but before all of that he went to France to try his luck only to return home with his tail between his legs.
"When he came back he had no club but he was still very famous, everybody knew about him in Douala. When he was just 14 he was the one feeding the whole family," says Hiondi Nkam, author of a new book about Eto´o called "Les Anges et Les Demons" (Angels and Demons).
He was not yet 16 when he made his international debut and barely 17 when he went to the 1998 World Cup after newly-appointed coach Claude Le Roy decided he could not ignore such a precocious talent.
"I wanted to give a chance to all the locally-based players to see if there were any gems among them, and I saw this young player who seemed so comfortable tactically and so intelligent," Le Roy told AFP.
"He was just a kid but he wasn´t afraid of all the big names in the team."
Having retired from playing in 2019 aged 38, Eto´o has quickly transitioned into a leadership role off the field and in December, he was elected president of Cameroon´s Football Federation.
"People believe that he is not there for money or fame, but he is there to help," says Nkam, who sums up what Eto´o means to New Bell.
"He is a role model. He was selfish on the field of play but very, very human off it. Some people would say that after God comes Samuel Eto’o.”
|
|
Hits: 1 | Source:Autres | |
|
|
|
|
| |
ACTUALITE |
Favourite son Eto´o is pride of Cup of Nations host city Douala
Samuel Eto´o left for Europe to become one of the greatest African footballers of all time but it was in the city of Douala that he first made his name and where residents continue to idolise the former Barcelona......
[Autres][28.01.2022][11260 hits][0 R]
|
|
Afcon Records: No one scores like Eto’o
No player scored more goals in the history of TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations than Samuel Eto’o. The Cameroonian legend netted a record of 18 goals in six editions he played for The Indomitable Lions in. Catch all the Afcon 2021 action from......
[Autres][04.01.2022][9529 hits][0 R]
|
|
Karim Benzema bat un record détenu par Samuel Eto’o
L’attaquant français du Real Madrid, Karim Benzema est rentré un peu plus dans l’histoire de Liga en battant un record détenu par l’ancien attaquant du FC Barcelone, Samuel......
[Autres][19.06.2020][20610 hits][0 R]
|
|
Afrique : Eto´o remet Diouf à sa place
Considéré comme un des plus grands joueurs africains de l’histoire, Samuel Eto’o est réputé pour avoir une haute estime de sa personne. A l’occasion d’un live sur Instagram avec le compte Generation Amazing, l’ancien buteur camerounais a effectué un......
[Autres][15.05.2020][54156 hits][0 R]
|
|
Eto’o: Cameroon a unique country, everything in place to host Afcon
Covid-19 has thrown the next Afcon edition into uncertainty, but the ex-Indomitable Lions skipper is optimistic of a flawless tournament
Former Barcelona and Chelsea forward Samuel Eto’o is convinced the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finals to be......
[][05.05.2020][49170 hits][0 R]
|
|
Turquie : doublé d’Eto’o, Makoun passeur
Les deux camerounais ont largement contribué à la victoire de leur club Antalyaspor samedi face à Galatasaray......
[Journal du cameroun.com][18.04.2016][25664 hits][0 R]
|
|
Cameroun : Opération visibilité pour Samuel Eto’o
Le jeu de flirt entre la multinationale de télécom et Samuel Eto’o date de 2010, année de la coupe du Monde sud Africaine. Malgré d’âpres négociations, le partenariat n’avait pas pu être scellé. C’est donc en grande pompe que l’entreprise de......
[Camfoot][23.03.2016][30652 hits][0 R]
|
|
Turquie : Eto`o désormais à la puissance 16 !
Le capitaine camerounais d’Antalyaspor a de nouveau fait plaisir aux supporters de son équipe en s’illustrant par un doublé dans le match en retard de la 25e journée de Super Lig turque qui a opposé le club d’Antalya lundi à Bursaspor de Dany......
[Autres][15.03.2016][55848 hits][0 R]
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|