Samuel Eto`o is the first player from Cameroon to play for Barcelona. He`s a proven goal getter, who combines experience with youth.
Samuel Eto`o Fils was born in Nkon (Cameroon) on 10th March 1981, and from an early age showed he was going to be something special. He made the leap to Europe at the start of the 1996-7 season, when as a 16-year-old, he was snapped up by Real Madrid, who loaned him out to second division Leganes He was the youngest player at the 1998 World Cup in France, when he was just 17 years and 3 months old.
After his time at Leganes, Eto`o was again loaned out, first to Espanyol(1998-99, where he only figured intermittently, then, after returning for a spell with Real Madrid, at Mallorca during the 99-2000 season. At the start of the following campaign he joined Mallorca. Last season he played 32 times
forthe Balearic Islanders and scored 14 goals.
Fast, strong and direct, Samuel Eto`o, who is 1.80 tall and weighs 75 kilos, boasts considerable experience, despite still only being 23. He`s a committed player, whose hunger for goals never gets in the way of his desire to do the best for his team.
- With Real Madrid: 1 Copa Intercontinental (1998) and 1 Champions League (2000)
- With Real Mallorca: 1 Copa del Rei (2003)
- With Cameroon: Gold medal Sidney Olympics 2000, 2 African Cups (2000 and 2002) and 1 Confederation Cup runners up (2003)
- African player of the year (2003)
