SUMMARY
- In his illustrious career, Samuel won numerous League titles and three Champions League titles.
- Samuel has often caused a stir with his actions and comments on hot topics. The former FC Barcelona strikes once created chaos by downgrading the World Cup.
Samuel Eto’o is one of Africa’s best contributions to soccer. The Cameroonian has built a soccer that any striker would envy. In his illustrious career, Samuel won numerous League titles and three Champions League titles.
The striker has played some of the biggest names in soccer. His former names include teams like Chelsea, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, etc. It is safe to say that Samuel Eto’o has one of the best resumes in the soccer world.
The 42-year-old has taken over the reins as the President of the Cameroonian FA after his retirement in 2019. However, Samuel has often caused a stir with his actions and comments on hot topics. The former FC Barcelona strikes once created chaos by downgrading the World Cup.
It is every soccer player’s dream to win the prestigious FIFA World Cup, at least once in their career. The lifting of the trophy is a very special moment as it immortalizes the player in the respective nation’s history book. However, to get to the trophy, one nation has to beat some of the world’s best teams on the planet.
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Samuel Eto’o however would beg to differ in this regard. The Cameroonian discards the specialty of the trophy and considers it overhyped. The 42-year-old said in an interview with The Athletic, “Winning a World Cup is not impossible. I won I don’t know how many Champions Leagues, all while being considered one of the best players of that generation.
“If others have done it, if I could do it, I don’t see why an African country will not win a World Cup. It’s even one of the easiest things to do. It’s just a couple of football matches.”
The Cameroonian was discussing about African nation’s chances of winning a World Cup someday. But, in doing so he belittled winning the World Cup by terming it ‘easy to win.’ The comments definitely won’t go well with Lionel Messi fans who had to wait decades for their idol to lift the coveted trophy.
Samuel Eto’o believes poor infrastructure and training are holding African soccer back
The Brazilian legend Pele once believed that an African nation would win the FIFA World Cup before 2000. His comments came after the world witnessed Cameroon’s iconic run in the 1990 World Cup which saw them reach the quarter finals.
But, it took another 32 years for an African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final (Morocco in 2022), let alone a World Cup final. According to Samuel Eto’o, the problem with African soccer is not related to talent but infrastructure and education.
The former Inter Milan striker believes that Europeans have progressed so well in soccer and general life due to education. According to the 3-time UEFA Champions League winner, the Europeans have an undying zeal for education, and that they never stop learning. He believes that Africans are more talented than the Europeans, but lack patience.
Samuel said, “Africans have a lot of talent, Europeans a bit less. But the Europeans have understood something: education. Education is the magic of every success. In Africa, we don’t know how to educate ourselves, and to educate you have to have patience. What you educate today will bear fruit in 10 years’ time. We don’t have that patience.”
He also criticized the soccer infrastructure in Africa. The 42-year-old’s assessment says that the absence of playgrounds and world-class stadiums in Africa and Cameroon has restricted the African youth.
The two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner had this to say about the plight of African soccer, “First, you have to find the space to play in Cameroon. There aren’t football stadiums like in Europe. We played in the street, we improvised, and we were fine like that. I think that’s why Africa is lacking because buildings now occupy those spaces — youngsters can’t express themselves naturally.
I’ll be remembering today as one of the proudest moments of my life. I’m deeply grateful for to be elected as the new president of @FecafootOfficie. Every vote represents the energy and ambition of our football family to take our beloved sport to a level we’ve never seen before. pic.twitter.com/2z8fjLBMLA
— Samuel Eto’o (@SamuelEtoo) December 11, 2021
“We have to construct a lot of stadiums close by so that the youngsters can play and they don’t stop playing. For that reason, I’ve put myself in this election to try and change these things.”
The former Barca striker has vowed that he would bring a qualitative change to the soccer of Cameroon after he is elected the President of the nation’s FA. Samuel Eto’o became the President of the Cameroonian FA in December 2021.
