What happened to Barcelona legend Samuel Eto’o and where is he now?
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SAMUEL Eto'o was widely regarded as one of the best strikers in world football, playing for a number of Europe's biggest clubs.
Here, we take a look at his illustrious career and where he is now.
Who is Samuel Eto'o?
Samuel Eto'o is a Cameroonian former footballer who played as a striker.
Eto'o began his career at Real Madrid, who he joined when he was 16.
He was loaned out to Mallorca initially in 2000, but signed for them permanently the same year after a successful spell.
He helped the side win the 2003 Copa Del Rey, beating Huelva 3-0 in the final, with Eto'o bagging two of the goals.
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Eto'o spent four years there before attracting the attention of La Liga giants Barcelona.
This is where Eto'o came to international prominence, scoring 108 goals in 144 league games for the Catalonian club.
He helped them win three La Liga titles in 2005, 2006 and 2009, and also led the side to two UEFA Champions League titles.
Eto'o scored the equaliser in the 2006 Champions League final against Arsenal, with Barca eventually winning the game 2-1, giving them their first European cup since 1992.
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He then scored the opener in the 2009 final against Manchester United, with the team winning 2-0 in Rome. This also secured the club the treble, in their first season under Pep Guardiola.
He transferred to Inter Milan in the summer of 2009, in a player plus cash deal with Barcelona for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Under the management of Jose Mourinho, Eto'o became the first player to win the treble in two consecutive seasons with two different teams.
He set up the second goal for Diego Milito as Inter won the 2010 Champions League Final 2-0 against Bayern Munich, the third European cup of his career.
The following season was less successful for the club, but Eto'o still managed 37 goals in all competitions as Inter won the FIFA Club World Cup and finished second in Serie A behind AC Milan.
Eto'o moved to Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala in 2011 which made him the world's highest paid player at the time.
A scaling back project at the Russian club in 2013 saw Eto'o and a number of other star players sold, including Willian.
He moved to the Premier League for the first time, reuniting with former manager Mourinho at Chelsea.
Eto'o scored 12 goals in his only season with the club, including strikes against Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal and a hat-trick against Manchester United.
Despite this, a falling out with Mourinho saw the player leave the club at the end of the season.
Eto'o joined Everton in the 2014/15 season, scoring on his debut against Chelsea in a 6-3 loss at Goodison Park.
He scored four goals during his short stay in Merseyside, leaving in January of that season to join Sampdoria.
What happened to Samuel Eto'o?
Eto'o's return to Italian football was short lived however, scoring just two goals in 18 appearances for Sampdoria.
He rediscovered his goalscoring form following a move to Turkish Super Lig side Antalyaspor, scoring 44 times in 77 appearances across his three seasons at the club.
He then joined Konyaspor in the same league for the 2017/18 season, before retiring after a spell with Qatar SC of the Qatar Stars League in 2019.
Eto'o is the all-time leading goal scorer for the Cameroon national team, scoring 56 goals in 118 appearances, which also puts him second in terms of caps won for his country.
He helped his country to major honours as well, winning the Africa Cup Of Nations in 2000 and 2002, and the 2000 Olympic gold medal.
Eto'o scored in the 2000 African Cup of Nations final against Nigeria in a game they won 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
He also scored in the Olympic final in 2000, in a 2-2 draw against Spain on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Where is Samuel Eto'o now?
Eto'o has been head of the Cameroonian Football Federation since December 2021.
He's widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of his era, and won the African Player Of The Year award a record four times.
Eto'o was involved in an altercation with an Algeria fan at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, whilst he was working as an ambassador at the tournament.
He later apologised for the incident.
He has been married to Georgette Eto'o since 2016, at a ceremony in northern Italy.
He has five children with Georgette, named Lynn, Etienne, Siena, Annie and Maelle.
He was declared the biological father of Erika in 2022 after a court case in Madrid.
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His son Etienne is also a footballer, aiming to follow in his father's footsteps.
Eto'o donated 10 ambulances to the Cameroon health service in 2021 in order to aid their fight against Covid-19.