In 1996, a small, timid, 15 year old African boy turned at Madrid Airport. He had agreed a deal to sign for Real Madrid. There was however, a small hitch. Real forgot that he was arriving that day and did not send a representative to pick him up. Instead, he was left at the airport for hours, unable to speak a word of Spanish. Samuel Eto’os relationship with Real Madrid can probably be summed up with this incident. Eto’o was the forgotten man during his time with Madrid. Moving to Barcelona, he has a point to prove.Samuel Eto’o was born in a town called Nkon, in Cameroon. He was playing for a local side when he was spotted by Real Madrid talent scouts touring the area. Along with others such as Geremi, Eto’o signed for Madrid in 1996. Despite being considered the brightest prospect to come out of Africa, Eto’o struggled to get much first team action. He made his debut in 1998, but featured very few times then on. He was loaned out to Espanyol, but never made an appearance. Another loan spell saw him play for Leganes of the second division.Despite his lack of opportunities in Spain, he was given his chance in the national team very early on. At 16 he was selected for the Cameroon 1998 World Cup squad, the youngest player of the tournament.Frustrated by his limited chances, Eto’o seized the opportunity to join Mallorca for £5.5 million in 1999. It was here he really made his mark, becoming the clubs all-time top scorer in the first division.In his first three seasons at Mallorca, he made quite an impression, not just his scoring, 23 league goals in 70 appearances, but his all round play attracted praise from many people. His impressive club performances guaranteed him first team football for his country. He helped Cameroon to 2 consecutive African nations cup’s and won a gold medal in Sydney when Cameroon clinched Olympic success.Despite this achievement, Eto’o really confirmed his arrival in his fourth season at the club. He was outstanding for Mallorca, scoring 14 league goals and helping them win the Spanish cup. The season also included another brilliant performance at the Bernabeau, where Madrid where hammered 5-1. Many saw this as a warning to Real, that they could not let this talent go. Despite half-owning Eto’o, Madrid turned down the offer to buy him back.His last season at Mallorca was disappointing for the club, but this did not deter some of Europe’s top clubs who were interested in signing Eto’o after his 17 league goals. The season included another fine individual goal against Madrid for Eto’o, which again started rumours of a possible return for the 2003 African player of the Year.The summer had Eto’o reportedly signing for Madrid or even Liverpool, but in the end Barcelona bought him for £18 million after Madrid turned down the offer to buy him back.Blessed with pace, precision and great finishing ability, he could be the perfect player alongside Ronaldinho. He also has the confidence to shine on the big stage, once insisting: “I might not be as handsome as David Beckham, but I’m a better footballerâ€.
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