a écrit le 17 avril 2006 à 7h40 ETO'O suite
Born in Nkon, Cameroon on March 10, 1981, it was Real Madrid talent scouts that first spotted Eto’o while he was playing for a local team in his hometown and in 1996, he signed a contract for the Spanish club, though he barely made it in the first eleven. He made his debut in 1998 but was later loaned to Espanyol where he never made any appearances.
He was again loaned to Leganes in the second division and later to RCD Mallorca in 1999, where he really started showing his potential. He scored 54 goals for Mallorca and eventually became the highest league goal scorer ever in the club’s history. He also helped them win the Spanish Cup in 2003.
During the summer of 2004, Barcelona bought him for £18 million, and he has quickly paid the club back with his performances that have helped make the difference in terms of winning the championship.
Though he has enjoyed much success in Spain during the last two years, he has also been a victim of racial abuse while playing for his club. Fans of Real Zaragoza have twice abused him this season – though the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for the most recent incident, fined the club 9,000 Euros. During that match, Eto’o had to be persuaded by his coach Frank Rijkaard and team-mates to continue playing – as he tried to leave the pitch following the racial abuse.
In November 2004, he again suffered racial abuse from Getafe fans as his side went on to win the match 2-1. Monkey chants are nothing new to him as they were leveled against him every time he touched the ball during the match.
In February 2005, he responded to monkey chants from Real Zaragoza fans by dancing like a monkey after scoring a goal in a 4-1 haul over Zaragoza. Afterwards, he was quoted saying: “I danced like a monkey because they treated me like a monkey.â€
The question of why racism is hard to abolish in football is every one’s homework assignment. But how Eto’o has been able to overcome this ugly and unjust racial abuse to further make a big difference on the pitch by notching the much needed goals for his club is something else that describes his qualities as a striker.
Born in Nkon, Cameroon on March 10, 1981, it was Real Madrid talent scouts that first spotted Eto’o while he was playing for a local team in his hometown and in 1996, he signed a contract for the Spanish club, though he barely made it in the first eleven. He made his debut in 1998 but was later loaned to Espanyol where he never made any appearances.
He was again loaned to Leganes in the second division and later to RCD Mallorca in 1999, where he really started showing his potential. He scored 54 goals for Mallorca and eventually became the highest league goal scorer ever in the club’s history. He also helped them win the Spanish Cup in 2003.
During the summer of 2004, Barcelona bought him for £18 million, and he has quickly paid the club back with his performances that have helped make the difference in terms of winning the championship.
Though he has enjoyed much success in Spain during the last two years, he has also been a victim of racial abuse while playing for his club. Fans of Real Zaragoza have twice abused him this season – though the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for the most recent incident, fined the club 9,000 Euros. During that match, Eto’o had to be persuaded by his coach Frank Rijkaard and team-mates to continue playing – as he tried to leave the pitch following the racial abuse.
In November 2004, he again suffered racial abuse from Getafe fans as his side went on to win the match 2-1. Monkey chants are nothing new to him as they were leveled against him every time he touched the ball during the match.
In February 2005, he responded to monkey chants from Real Zaragoza fans by dancing like a monkey after scoring a goal in a 4-1 haul over Zaragoza. Afterwards, he was quoted saying: “I danced like a monkey because they treated me like a monkey.â€
The question of why racism is hard to abolish in football is every one’s homework assignment. But how Eto’o has been able to overcome this ugly and unjust racial abuse to further make a big difference on the pitch by notching the much needed goals for his club is something else that describes his qualities as a striker.
