Samuel Etoo Fils (French pronunciation: [samɥɛl eto fis]; born 10 March 1981) is a Cameroonian footballer who plays as a striker. Etoo trained at Kadji Sports Academy.[5] He also holds a Spanish passport, enabling him not to count among the foreign players working in the European Union. Etoo scored over 100 goals in five seasons with Barcelona, and is also the record holder in number of appearances by an African player in La Liga.[6] In 2010, he became the first player to win two European continental trebles following his back-to-back achievements with Barcelona and Inter Milan. He is the second player to have ever scored in two separate UEFA Champions League finals and the fourth player, after Marcel Desailly, Paulo Sousa, and Gerard Piqué, to have won the UEFA Champions League two years in a row with different teams.[7] He is the most decorated African player of all time having won the African Player of the Year award a record four times: in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010. He was third in the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2005. As a member of the Cameroon national team, Etoo was a part of the squad that won the 2000 Olympic tournament. He has also participated in three World Cups and six Africa Cup of Nations (being champion twice) and is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations, with 18 goals. He is also Cameroons all-time leading scorer and third most capped player, with 56 goals from 118 caps. Real Madrid Samuel Etoo joined Real Madrids youth academy in 1997, but he could only train with Real Madrid B, as he was still a minor. Real Madrid B were relegated to the third tier, Segunda División B, where non-European Union players are not allowed, and as a result, he was loaned to second-division CD Leganés for the 1997–98 season, when he was only in the tenth grade[clarification needed].[8] After making 30 appearances for the club and only scoring four goals, he returned to Madrid following the end of the 1998–99 season. In January 1999, he was loaned out to RCD Espanyol,[9] but failed to make any appearances for the club. Mallorca The next season, in the winter transfer window, he transferred to La Liga team RCD Mallorca on loan, scoring six goals in 19 games. At the end of the season, Etoo left Real Madrid, signing a permanent deal with RCD Mallorca for a club record £4.4 million fee. In his second season, he scored 11 goals and began to garner attention throughout the league. Mallorca President Mateo Alemany said of his style of play, I doubt if there is any other player in the world who would please the fans more at this moment. Etoo himself commented on his rise to stardom, I like it here in Mallorca; I have always been well looked after, the fans appreciate me and I also have a contract that runs until 2007. He returned the fans appreciation when he donated €30,000 in meals to travelling Mallorca supporters who made the journey to the Copa del Rey final against Recreativo de Huelva in 2003. Mallorca won the match 3–0, with Etoo scoring two late goals to seal the victory. His volatile attitude, however, resulted in several off-pitch incidents. Bartolome Terrassa, a television journalist, filed a formal complaint after a run-in with Etoo in the clubs parking lot, accusing the player of saying, The next time, you are not going to escape; Im going to kill you.[citation needed] This was not the first incident, however, as the previous year, Etoos former agent, Daniel Argibeaut, accused the player of assaulting him with four accomplices, saying, They then took off my shoes, which in Cameroon means I am threatened with death.[citation needed] Barcelona 2004–2007 Etoo departed Mallorca as the clubs all-time leading domestic league scorer (54 goals) when he signed for FC Barcelona in the summer of 2004 for a transfer fee of €24 million, after lengthy, three-way negotiations with Mallorca and Madrid.[10] 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.[11] Additionally, the team already had its full quota of three non-EU players.[10] Etoo 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 Etoo harangued the fans chanting, Madrid, cabrón, saluda al campeón (English: Madrid, bastards, salute the champions). The Royal Spanish Football Federation fined Etoo €12,000 for his comments, for which he later apologized. He expressed regret and asked for forgiveness from Real Madrid, his first professional team. The head of the Real Madrid fan club federation remained unimpressed, however, stating, This character is a fantastic player, but he leaves a lot to be desired as a person.[12] He signed an improved contract with Barcelona in June 2005.[13] After missing out on the previous years Pichichi trophy, which is given to the topscorer in La Liga, Etoo edged out Valencia CF 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. Etoo was very gracious to teammates after the game saying, It has been a team effort although only one person gets the award. Weve worked hard all season and have got our just rewards.[14] Etoo also contributed six goals during Barcelonas run to the 2005–06 Champions League title. In the final, Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off early on for bringing down Etoo just outside of the penalty area, but the Catalans struggled to capitalize on their one-man advantage until Etoo scored the game-tying goal in the second half. Barcelona went on to win the match 2–1, and Etoo was awarded with the UEFA Best Forward of the Year award for his accomplishments in the European campaign.[15][16] Etoo also won an historic third consecutive African Player of the Year award that season. He said in his acceptance speech, Above all, I dedicate this to all the children of Africa.[17] He was also selected to his second straight FIFPro World XI and finished third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year, making him only the second African footballer ever to be voted into the top three.[18][19] The season started badly for Etoo, as he ruptured the meniscus in his right knee during Barcelonas Champions League group stage match against Werder Bremen on 27 September 2006. Barcelona team physician Ricard Pruna originally estimated that the injury would keep him out of action for two to three months.[20] After the operation, Etoos recovery time was extended to five months, but he resumed training with Barcelona in early January 2007.[21][22] 2007–2009 Etoo refused to come on as a substitute in a league match against Racing de Santander on 11 February 2007. Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard said after the match, He did not want to come on; I dont know why.[23] Ronaldinho was critical of Etoos actions, saying that Etoo was not putting the team first, but Etoo rebutted the comment, claiming that he did not come on because he did not have enough time to warm up properly.[24][25] Three months later, Etoo said, These kind of things are usually just speculation and dont come through to me. However, if it is true that I am a problem for my team then I will go. But like I said, I am happy here. The press can write what they want. Following the comments, Barcelona President Joan Laporta was quick to quash rumours of transfers involving Etoo and Ronaldinho.[26] After aggravating a meniscus injury on 28 August during a summer friendly against Inter Milan, Etoo was sidelined indefinitely.[27] On 17 October, in the midst of his recovery period, he gained Spanish citizenship.[28] He was cleared to play again on 4 December, and returned to the side a week later in Barcelonas 2–1 league win over Deportivo de La Coruña.[29][30] Etoo recorded his first league hat-trick in a match against UD Levante on 24 February 2008.[31] He finished with a total of 16 league goals in 18 appearances for the season.[32] On 25 October, he recorded the fastest hat-trick in club history after netting three times in 23 minutes in a victory over UD Almería.[33] Only two games later, on 8 November 2008, Etoo scored four goals in the first half of Barcelonas 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 FC, moving him into the clubs top ten all-time goalscorers.[34] On 14 February 2009, he scored his 99th and his 100th league goals for Barcelona in a 2–2 draw with Real Betis. Etoo scored his 30th goal of the 2008–09 season in a La Liga match against Real Valladolid. The game ended 1–0 and meant that Barcelona kept a six-point lead over Real Madrid in the league. He also scored against Villarreal CF in the game that put Barcelona one point away from lifting the 2008–09 La Liga trophy. Etoo scored the opening goal in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final against Manchester United. Barcelona went on to win the final 2–0, thus completing the Treble. Internazionale After Maxwell completed the transfer from Internazionale, Joan Laporta confirmed that there was an agreement in principle between Barcelona and Inter Milan for Zlatan Ibrahimović to join the club in exchange for Etoo and €46 million.[35][36] After Ibrahimović agreed terms with Barcelona, the club announced Etoo would travel to Milan for his medical to complete the transfer.[37] On 27 July 2009, Etoo passed his medical and signed for five years with Inter.[38] On his first press-conference in Milan, he declared that he was where he wanted to be and refused to compare himself to Ibrahimović saying, Im Samuel Etoo and I dont want to compare myself to anyone. I believe the victories I have earned up to now can contribute to giving the right value to my name.[39] On 8 August, Etoo scored his first competitive goal for Inter, in the 2009 Supercoppa Italiana.[40] Two weeks later, Etoo scored from the penalty spot against Bari in his first Serie A match. In the following match, the Derby della Madonnina, Etoo won Inter a penalty, after being brought down by Gennaro Gattuso in the box. Gattuso was yellow carded and eventually sent off. Etoo scored again on 13 September against Parma, his first goal from open play in a Serie A match.[41] At the end of September 2009, Etoo demanded almost £2.75 million from Barcelona after his transfer to Inter. The amount represented 15% of the US$29 million (£17.7 million) fee which Inter paid Barcelona in July 2009. The demand was based on a Spanish rule that a player should get 15% of the amount of his transfer to another Spanish club. If the parties failed to reach a solution, the matter could go to court.[42] Etoo scored two goals during a thrilling win over Palermo which ended 5–3, with a brace also being scored by Mario Balotelli.[43] Etoo also scored in the Champions League Round of 16 against Chelsea, in the second leg, on 16 March 2010, which allowed Inter to progress to the quarter-finals. On 5 May, Etoo and his teammates helped Inter to lift the Italian Cup after defeating Roma 1–0 at the Stadio Olimpico. Inters goal was scored by Argentinas Diego Milito. On 22 May 2010, Etoo played in the third Champions League final of his career, and with Inters triumph over Bayern Munich, he became the only player to win the treble in consecutive seasons.[44] On 21 August 2010, Etoo scored twice as Inter beat Roma 3–1 to win the Italian SuperCup.[45] His first hat trick for Inter occurred in the UEFA Champions League against the German team Werder Bremen on 29 September 2010.[46] Inter Milan won the game 4–0, with Etoo saying, We will remain humble because we know that there are sides out there that are better than us, so we will just take it one match at a time and we will go as far as it takes us. Continuing his outstanding form in Serie A and in the Champions League for the 2010–11 campaign, he was pivotal to Inter Milans attack line. On 16 March 2011, Etoo gave a legendary performance in Munich as he helped Inter eliminate Bayern Munich 3–2 (with an aggregate score of 3–3, winning on away goals) in the Champions League. Etoo scored the first goal after four minutes, and provided two clinical assists to Wesley Sneijder and to Goran Pandev for the winner. After the game, Inter president Massimo Moratti said, Im not sure if the deal that brought Etoo to the club was my best piece of transfer business ever, but I really think it was a great piece of business for us. Etoo is fantastic. I do not want to take anything away from Ibrahimović, but for everyone it was really a great deal to get Etoo. Samuel is truly extraordinary. On 29 May, Etoo scored two goals in the final of the Coppa Italia against Palermo to help Inter win 3–1 and taking his total season goals to 37, a new record high for him.[47] Anzhi Makhachkala On 23 August 2011, Anzhi Makhachkala reached an agreement with Inter Milan to sign Etoo in a three-year deal that made him the worlds highest paid player, with a salary of €20 million (after taxes) per season.[48][49] Etoo made his debut for Anzhi on 27 August 2011 against FC Rostov when he came on as a substitute with 30 minutes to go in the game and scored an equalizer in the 80th minute from a cross by Yuri Zhirkov.[50] Etoo scored the opening goal in an 5–3 defeat[51] at home to CSKA Moscow[52] leaving his side four points above Krasnodar with only two games left for qualification to the Championship Group. At the end of the 2012–13 Russian Premier League Etoo made it to the Top 33 players of the Season list as the #1 Right Striker.[53] Anzhis billionaire owner Suleiman Kerimov shocked the Russian football world by deciding in August 2013 to scale down the clubs ambitions and drastically shrink its budget. As a result, almost all of the star players, who were signed in a bid to make the club world beaters, were put on the market.[54] Chelsea Etoo with Chelsea On 29 August 2013, Etoo signed a one-year deal with English side Chelsea, for an undisclosed fee.[55] His salary for Chelsea was €8 million, down from the €20 million per season he was previously receiving.[56] He scored his first goal for Chelsea on 19 October 2013 against Cardiff City, in which he gave Chelsea the lead. In Chelseas home Champions League match against Schalke on 6 November, Etoo scored twice in a 3–0 victory.[57] In Etoos first league start of 2014, on 20 January, he scored his first hat-trick for Chelsea, earning the Blues a 3–1 victory over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.[58] On 8 March, Etoo opened scoring in Chelseas 4-0 victory over Tottenham when Jan Vertonghen sent a backpass straight into his path. It was the 300th goal in his club career.[59] In the second leg of Chelseas Champions League last-16 tie with Galatasaray, Etoo gave the Blues a 4th-minute early lead with his 10th goal of the season, in a match they would go on to win 2-0. [60] Etoo continued his good form with another early goal, in the 5th minute against Arsenal on 22 March. However, he was then substituted after 10 minutes for Fernando Torres after picking up a slight injury. Chelsea won the game 6-0.[61] Etoo was included on the list of players released by Chelsea on 23 May 2014.[62] International career Etoo earned his first cap with Cameroon one day before his 16th birthday on 9 March 1997, in a 5–0 friendly loss to Costa Rica. In 1998, he was the youngest participant in the 1998 FIFA World Cup when he appeared in a 3–0 group stage loss to Italy on 17 June 1998, at the age of 17 years and three months. Etoo scored his sole goal of the 2002 FIFA World Cup when he netted the game-winner against Saudi Arabia during the group stage on 6 June 2002, which was Cameroons only win of the competition. Etoo was a part of the squads that won the 2000 and 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, and was a gold medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics. At the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, in which Cameroon finished as runners-up, he scored his only goal in a 1–0 group stage upset of Brazil on 19 June. Cameroon were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations after Etoo missed the decisive penalty in a 12–11 penalty shootout loss to Ivory Coast following a 1–1 draw, but he nonetheless finished as the top scorer of the tournament with five goals. He missed a team practice before the quarter-finals to attend the CAF African Footballer of the Year award ceremonies in Togo. In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Etoo became joint leading goalscorer (along with Laurent Pokou) in the competitions history after scoring his 14th goal with a penalty against Zambia on 26 January 2008. In the following game against Sudan, on 30 January, Etoo converted another penalty to become the tournaments all time leading scorer, followed by another goal in the same match that took his Cup of Nations tally to 16.[63] He finished as the top scorer for the second consecutive tournament, matching his 2006 total of five goals. On 1 June 2008, Etoo headbutted reporter Philippe Bony, following an incident at a press conference. Bony suffered an injury, but Etoo later apologized for the altercation, offering to pay Bonys medical expenses.[64] In the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Gabon, Etoo scored a goal in the 68th minute. He followed it up with another goal in the home fixture. He led the scoring chart with eight qualification goals. Etoo scored in the World Cup qualification match against Morocco to win Cameroon a spot in the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament. On 1 December 2009, Etoo finished fifth in voting for the Ballon dOr, which was won by his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi. On 19 June 2010, Etoo scored a goal in Cameroons 2010 World Cup group stage match against Denmark, from a mistake by Christian Poulsen. Cameroon eventually lost the game 2–1 and was eliminated from the World Cup. Etoo described it as the biggest disappointment of his career. In December 2010, Etoo became the first man to be named African Player of the Year for a fourth time.[65] On 16 December 2011, Etoo was suspended for fifteen games by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football, after the team refused to play a friendly against Algeria earlier this year.[66] The ban was reduced to eight months in January 2012, meaning Etoo will only miss four competitive matches. The change was brought about after Cameroon president Paul Biya asked officials to reconsider the controversial sanction.[67] On 27 August 2012, Etoo was in the squad to face Cape Verde in the first leg of a qualification play-off for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, but the striker refused to play, as a protest against what he described as the amateurish and poorly organised national team set-up.[68] After an intervention from the countrys Prime Minister, Philemon Yang, Etoo agreed to return for the second leg.[69] However, Etoos return was not enough for Cameroon to overturn a 0–2 first leg deficit, and the Indomitable Lions failed to qualify for the Cup of Nations. On 23 March 2013, Etoo scored his first goal for Cameroon in 16 months with a penalty kick against Togo in a 2014 World Cup qualifier. He went on to score an 82nd minute winning goal in the same match, sending Cameroon to the top of their qualifying group. In November 2013, he captained the team in their 4–1 aggregate defeat of Tunisia in the play-off to secure World Cup qualification.[70] In June 2014, Etoo was selected in Cameroons squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, becoming the third African to participate in four tournaments after compatriots Jacques Songoo and Rigobert Song.[71] Personal life Etoo has two brothers who are also footballers: David and Étienne. Etoo has four children: Maelle, Étienne, Siena and Lynn. He married his longtime sweetheart Georgette on 6 July 2007. Georgette is the mother of Siena and Lynn, who both live with her in Paris, France.[72] Racism Etoo has experienced racial abuse in some away matches. He is one of several high-profile contemporary players to have reacted to the abuse by threatening to leave the pitch and being outspoken in criticism of their experiences. In February 2005, during an away match with Real Zaragoza, Etoo was the subject of racist taunts by Zaragoza supporters, who began making monkey-like chants onto the pitch whenever he had possession of the ball. Referee Fernando Carmona Méndez, however, made no mention of the incidents in his match report, commenting only that the behavior of the crowd was normal; two of the abusers were caught and given five-month sporting-event bans after being identified to police by other spectators.[73][74] Etoo later declared that the punishment was insufficient and that La Romareda should have been closed for at least one year, but his manager Frank Rijkaard, who is also of African origin, told him to concentrate on football and stop talking about the incident. Infuriated again by Zaragoza fans racist chants the following season, however, Etoo attempted to walk off the pitch in protest.[75] His teammates intervened and convinced him to continue playing. After experiencing regular racist abuse from sections of support in Spanish crowds, Etoo stopped bringing family members to matches. He stated It is something that has affected me personally. I think players, leaders, and the media have to join forces so that no one feels looked down upon because of the colour of their skin. At this moment in time I prefer my children dont go to football matches. In the stands they have to listen to things that are difficult to explain to a child. It is better they arent exposed to it.[76] On 17 October 2010, in a Serie A game against Cagliari, after just three minutes of play, the referee halted the match to give a warning to some Cagliari fans who were singing racist chants towards Etoo. After play was resumed, the rest of the stadium chanted loudly in an attempt to drown out the racist chants in order to avoid the match being suspended. Inter went on to win 1–0 with an Etoo goal in the 39th minute.[77] Honours Club Mallorca Copa del Rey (1): 2003 La Liga (3): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09 Copa del Rey (1): 2009 Supercopa de España (2): 2005, 2006 UEFA Champions League (2): 2005–06, 2008–09 Inter Milan Serie A (1): 2009–10 Coppa Italia (2): 2010, 2011 Supercoppa Italiana (1): 2010 UEFA Champions League (1): 2009–10 FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2010 International Cameroon African Cup of Nations (2): 2000, 2002 LG Cup (1): 2011 Cameroon Olympic Team Olympic Gold Medal (1): 2000 Individual. African Player of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010 [82] Pichichi Trophy: 2006[83] UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2006 FIFA Club World Cup – Golden Ball 2010 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year Third Young African Player of the Year: 2000 ESM Team of the Year: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11 FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006 UEFA Team of the Year: 2005, 2006 Russian Premier League Top 33 players – #1 Right Striker: 2012/13[53] African Cup of Nations Top Scorer: 2006, 2008 African Cup of Nations All-Time Top Scorer RCD Mallorca All-Time Top Scorer Cameroon All-Time Top Scorer Man of the Match: 2006 UEFA Champions League Final
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 20:09:59 +0000
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