Samuel Eto'o

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Eto'o's Barcelona career began with a La Liga title in 2004–05, after which he harangued fans chanting, 'Madrid, cabrón, saluda al campeón' (English for, 'Madrid, bastards, salute the champions'), earning a €12,000 fine from the Royal Spanish Football Federation. He later apologized. In 2005–06, he edged out Valencia striker David Villa for the Pichichi Trophy on the final matchday, scoring his 26th goal of the season against Athletic Bilbao. He also contributed six goals during Barcelona's run to the 2005–06 Champions League title, scoring the game-tying goal in the final after Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off early on. Barcelona won 2–1. Eto'o was awarded the UEFA Best Forward of the Year award for his accomplishments in the European campaign. He also won an historic third consecutive African Player of the Year award that season, dedicating it 'to all the children of Africa.' He finished third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year, making him only the second African footballer ever, after the Liberian star George Weah, to be voted into the top three.

In Their Own Story

The 2008–09 season under new manager Pep Guardiola began with uncertainty. Guardiola 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 departed, although Eto'o and Guardiola had several reported disagreements throughout the season. On 25 October, Eto'o recorded the fastest hat-trick in club history after netting three times in 23 minutes in a victory over Almería. Only two games later, on 8 November 2008, Eto'o scored four goals in the first half of Barcelona's game against Real 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 over Sevilla, moving him into the club's top ten all-time goalscorers. On 14 February 2009, he scored his 99th and his 100th league goals for Barcelona. He was part of a front three of Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry that won the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final, with Eto'o again scoring in the final.

Reader's Guide

Eto'o departed Mallorca as the club's all-time leading domestic league scorer (54 goals) when he signed for Barcelona in the summer of 2004 for a transfer fee of €24 million. Initially, Real Madrid President Florentino 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. Eto'o made his Barcelona debut in the season opener at Racing de Santander on 29 August 2004. After Barcelona won the 2004–05 La Liga title, the team organized a festive party in the Camp Nou, during which Eto'o harangued the fans chanting, 'Madrid, cabrón, saluda al campeón' (English for, 'Madrid, bastards, salute the champions'). The Royal Spanish Football Federation fined Eto'o €12,000 for his comments, for which he later apologized. He signed an improved contract with Barcelona in June 2005. After missing out on the previous year's Pichichi trophy, Eto'o edged out Valencia striker David Villa for the award during the final matchday on 20 May 2006 when he scored his 26th goal of the season against Athletic 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.'

Did You Know?

• Eto'o scored in both the 2006 and 2009 UEFA Champions League finals, becoming the second player in history to score in two UEFA Champions League finals.
• He recorded the fastest hat-trick in club history on 25 October 2008, netting three times in 23 minutes against Almería.
• On 8 November 2008, Eto'o scored four goals in the first half of Barcelona's 6–0 win over Real Valladolid.
• He finished third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2005, making him only the second African footballer ever, after George Weah, to be voted into the top three.
• Eto'o was fined €12,000 by the Royal Spanish Football Federation for chanting 'Madrid, cabrón, saluda al campeón' at Barcelona's 2004–05 La Liga title celebration.