9 - Samuel Eto'o

El Flaco

El Flaco

Active member

On joining Inter

It’s true, I came to Inter because of Materazzi. I take this opportunity to thank him, because even if I didn’t know him, when I was in Cameroon I received a message signed Marco Materazzi.

I called Demetrio Albertini, who I played with at Barcelona, and asked if he could verify if that really was Materazzi.

Five minutes later, I got confirmation. So, if I played at Inter, it was thanks to Marco Materazzi.”

On his difficult beginnings in the past

I was never afraid that I wouldn’t make it, because I knew that I had talent, but I was afraid of dogs. I had a terrible experience and a nasty scar on my knee. It was a pretty big dog. In Africa there aren’t many opportunities for people, so there are moments when you doubt yourself.

When I got to Real Madrid, I thought ‘this is my path, I don’t care what happens, I’ll make it.’ I arrived thanks to a player called Pirri, who was at Madrid, as he saw me play against the Ivory Coast youth team and called me in to have a trial at Real Madrid. I didn’t believe him at first, but I got there and met Roberto Carlos, Raul, Redondo – my idols.

And Fabio Capello as a Coach. I remember after the training session, Capello came over to me and said: ‘You are staying here.’

On the preparation for CL-final back in 2009

At Barcelona we prepared games in a very relaxed way during the week, so when we got to the locker room, it was as if we were just there to finish the job. When we played the Final in Rome, though, that was special.

When we got back from the warm-up into the locker room, Guardiola switched off all the lights and made us watch the film ‘Gladiator.’ It gave us so much energy and we emerged super-fired-up. We won.

On when Mourinho let him make the pre-game speech for the CL-final back in 2010

He gave his team talk ahead of the game, then said: ‘Now Samuel will tell us how we’ll win this evening.’ I have to thank him for that.

In the Final you win if you step on to the field to win, not if you go out there to play. Each of us thought of how much we suffered to reach that point, winning against Chelsea and Barcelona, to get to a Final Inter hadn’t been in for 40 years.

I said that I had played many Finals, but that was the most special. We had to do something for the people, for the Inter population who deserved it. I said ‘either we win the Champions League or we die trying. We’ve got to die on that pitch to bring home the cup or we’ll die because we don’t return to Milan with the Cup.’ Fortunately, it all went well.

I turned around after my speech and Julio Cesar was crying.


http://www.football-italia.net/101706/etoo-inter-champions-or-die-trying
http://www.football-italia.net/101715/etoo-materazzi-pep-gladiator
Click to expand...
 
Barcaman

Barcaman

Administrator
Staff member
Reading this only reminds me Eto'o was all about emotions.
Strange comment about Materazzi being key in joining Inter. There must be more to that story.
 
RevoTeller

RevoTeller

New member
I stumbled across this vid on Youtube:

[youtube]hgGIj4sFeCY[/youtube]

Just to remember how crazy good he was.
Man, what a legend Samuel Eto'o. :worthy:
 
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Windhook

Windhook

Well-known member
I equally love and hate him. It's a strange feeling. Perhaps his ego has something to do with it. On the pitch he is in my top 10 strikers of all times, but off the pitch he is really pure class garbage. Unprofessional comments for anyone you'd know about. Except probably for Messi, who is known to be introvert personality.
 
fergus90

fergus90

Senior Member
Absolutely lethal and world class in his prime, it's a shame he went to Russia 3 years too early. I'll never forget when he went to Everton, I was at the Everton vs Aston Villa game and he was playing as a defensive midfielder.
 
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