Former Inter striker Samuel Eto’o is one of the best African footballers of all time, according to Milano based paper la Gazzetta dello Sport. The 38-year-old forward retired earlier this week.
The report details how the Cameroonian striker was instrumental in two back to back trebles, first with Barcelona before moving to Italy to repeat the feat with Inter, the first and only treble achieved in Italy.
Eto’o spent two years with Inter, helping the Nerazzurri to a league title and a Champions League victory, and two Coppa Italia trophies, amongst others, as he made 102 appearances for the club, scoring 53 goals and providing 25 assists.
Unlike many other great African players in history, Eto’o was equally as important to the Cameroon national team as well as his clubs. He helped his nation win two African Cup of Nations trophies, as well as an Olympic gold medal in 2000.
Finally, Eto’o was not afraid to fight against any racial abuse he received whilst playing in Europe. In 2005 whilst playing against Getafe, he threw the ball at fans who were singing monkey chants, and a year later he attempted to leave the pitch after receiving abuse in Zaragoza.
Similar to Romelu Lukaku last week, Eto’o also faced racial abuse when playing in Cagliari, with the referee briefly stopping playing to warn the fans who were singing abuse at him. Eto’o scored the only goal in that game that saw Inter win 1-0.