In 2009, Samuel Eto’o won the league, cup and Champions League treble with Barcelona. In 2010, he did it again with Inter Milan.
No player had won back-to-back continental trebles with two different clubs before. The achievement capped a career that made the Cameroonian striker one of the greatest African footballers of all time.
From Douala to Madrid
Eto’o was born in 1981 in Nkon, near Yaoundé, and grew up in Douala. He joined Real Madrid’s youth system as a teenager, but struggled to break into the first team and was loaned out. His breakthrough came at Mallorca, where he became the club’s all-time top scorer in La Liga and helped them win the Copa del Rey in 2003.
Barcelona
In 2004, he joined Barcelona. Alongside Ronaldinho and later a young Lionel Messi, he won La Liga titles and two Champions League titles, in 2006 and 2009, scoring in both finals. The 2009 season under Pep Guardiola brought the treble.
At Barcelona he also faced racist abuse from opposition fans, and in 2006 he threatened to walk off the pitch in Zaragoza, an incident that drew attention to racism in Spanish football.
Inter
In 2009, Eto’o moved to Inter Milan in the deal that took Zlatan Ibrahimović to Barcelona. Under José Mourinho, Inter won Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League in 2010. Eto’o played a selfless role, often defending on the wing, and became the first player to win consecutive trebles with different clubs.
Cameroon
With Cameroon, Eto’o won the Olympic gold medal in 2000 in Sydney and the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000 and 2002. He is the all-time top scorer in the history of the Cup of Nations. He was named African Footballer of the Year four times.
After playing
After spells in Russia, England, Italy, Turkey and Qatar, Eto’o retired in 2019. In December 2021 he was elected president of the Cameroonian Football Federation. His presidency has been marked by both ambition and controversy, and his public comments often make headlines.
Why he matters
Eto’o’s success at the very top of European football, and his willingness to speak out against racism, made him a hero across Africa. Young strikers across the continent grew up copying his runs and finishing.
Real Madrid let him go as a teenager. He went on to win the Champions League three times, all of them for other clubs.
