Call it African Football 101, but when it comes to understanding African football legends, Samuel Eto’o is a name that stands out among the greats. Born in 1981 in Douala, Cameroon, to Christine Eto’o, a fishmonger, few could have imagined that this child would one day emerge as the saviour of Cameroonian football, following in the footsteps of the legendary Roger Milla.
Samuel Eto’o: From Childhood Dreams to African Football Legend
This biography takes you through the formative years of Samuel Eto’o, chronicling how his love for football began and how his journey led him from the Kadji Sports Academy in Douala to playing for Real Madrid’s Team B in Spain. His stellar performances at Mallorca eventually earned him a place at the illustrious Barcelona, where he cemented his status as an African football icon.
But there’s more to Eto’o’s story than just football. We delve into his personal life, including how he met his wife, Georgette Tra Lou, and their five children—Maelle, Etienne, Sienna, and Lynn—each pursuing their own paths. We also explore a lesser-known side of Eto’o: his role as the creator of nine graphic novels and comic books inspired by his life.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the fascinating story of Samuel Eto’o, a football legend both on and off the pitch.
Samuel Eto’o Childhood Story – Early and Family Life:
For Biography starters, Samuel Eto’o Fils was born on the 10th day of March 1981 in Douala, Cameroon. He was born to his mother, Christine Eto’o (a fishmonger), and to his father, David Eto’o (an accountant). Below are the lovely parents of Samuel Eto’o.
From left to right, we have David Eto’o (Samuel’s Dad) and Christine Eto’o (Samuel’s Mum).
Growing up as a kid, Eto’o, who was a lover of football, had ambitions of becoming one of Africa’s best. An ambition that saw him begin his youth club career at the Kadji Sports Academy in Douala in, Cameroon.
Eto’o committed the first four years of his life to nurturing his quest of getting the continental and international recognition he craved for.
Moving to France:
By 1996, Eto’o moved to France to try out for a French soccer club. Sadly, he was rejected. Consequently, he had to live as an undocumented person due to a lack of proper documentation and identification.
From hope to hardship in France, 1996: Eto’o’s pursuit of football stardom was met with rejection, leading to a challenging period without proper documentation.
Despite his travails, Eto’o still stuck to his dreams and aspirations even when the future seemed bleak for his football.
It was during one of those practices that Eto’o got spotted by scouts from Real Madrid when he was having fun playing football in the French city of Le Havre in the year 1997.
Career Buildup:
Although Eto’o started off by playing for Team B of Real Madrid in 1997, his stay at the youth team was short-lived as it suffered relegation to the third tier of Spanish football.
Not many football lovers know Samuel Eto’o once played for Real Madrid.
Consequently, Real Madrid loaned Samuel Eto’o to a number of clubs, including Leganes, Espanyol and Mallorca, who discovered great prospects in the African Immigrant. It wasn’t long before Mallorca bought Eto’o on a permanent deal in the year 2000 for a club-record fee of £4.4 Million.
After the purchase, Eto’o began an adventurous and exciting career. Just after scoring 11 goals, he earned himself encomiums from pundits and media alike.
Samuel Eto’o Biography – Success Story:
Samuel Eto’o exploits at Mallorca caught the attention of Spanish giants Barcelona in the year 2003. In the same year, Eto’o signed up for Barcelona, a move that marked the beginning of a big rise for Eto’o, who was gradually becoming a face for Africa in the international sports scene.
In the same year of his move, Eto’o was not only awarded African Player of the year for the year but immensely contributed to the ushering of Barcelona into a golden era.
More importantly, he became a source of motivation for Cameroonian strikers. For example, the likes of Karl Toko Ekambi, Legendary Vincent Aboubakar and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting – men who pushed the national team to AFCON glory following his retirement. The rest, as they say, is history.
Samuel Eto’o’s Wife (Georgette Tra Lou) and Children:
The common saying that behind every successful man is a woman is not farfetched in narrating the story of Samuel Eto’o as he has a heartthrob in the person of Georgette Tra Lou, pictured below.
This is Georgette Tra Lou, Samuel Eto’o’s wife.
She not only supports his career and movement but enjoys sharing in his adventurous lifestyle. Samuel Eto’o and Georgette Tra Lou have been childhood sweethearts and best of friends up until their friendship culminated in Marriage. Georgette and Samuel Eto’o got married traditionally in 2004 and, after a decade, had a grand white wedding in Milan.
Samuel Eto’o and Georgette Tra Lou’s wedding photo.
Georgette is the mother of four out of Samuel’s five children, namely Maelle, Etienne, Sienna and Lynn. Samuel Eto’o ‘s last child, Annie (pictured below with her mother), was born by Eto’o lover, Barranca, an Italian hairdresser.
Age Controversy:
It would be recalled that sometime in 2014, Jose Mourinho was poised with the problem of ascertaining Eto’s real age.
The situation escalated when José Mourinho expressed his frustrations during a press conference, stating,
“The problem with Chelsea is I lack a scorer. I have Eto’o, but he’s 32 years old—maybe 35, who knows?”
This sparked a heated debate about Samuel Eto’o’s age. Adding fuel to the fire, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter, Annie, publicly weighed in on the controversy in 2014, saying,
“I think Samuel isn’t 35; he’s more like 39. Samuel was born in 1974, so that makes him 39 now.”
While speculations rages and opinions differ, there was no denying the fact that Eto’s real age was best known to himself. He replied to Jose Mourinho by making a mockery of the speculations. He first acted as an old man taking snuff before his goal celebration which portrayed him as an old man. Nevertheless, José Mourinho still had a great appreciation for Samuel Eto’o, just as he did for players like Mikel Obi, the great Michael Essien, and the legendary Didier Drogba.
Businesses and Investments In Africa:
Samuel Eto’o owns a number of business ventures both within and outside Africa. Unlike many of his colleagues who often amass wealth and invest abroad, Samuel has done a great deal in investing in Africa.
Samuel Eto’o owns an international fashion line that produces shirts, caps and sneakers targeted at both the local and international markets, with millions swimming in investments and profits.
Aside from the fashion brand, Eto’o has a commercial interest in the communications Industry of Africa, owning one of the few successful communications companies in Cameroon, which is named Eto’o Telecoms. In 2017, Eto’o opened a Chinese restaurant in the suburbs of Chicago, a restaurant that depicted his love and interest in food as well as his business sense.
Philanthropy:
The Legendary Eto’o’s background has being the key to his growth. Watching his family sink from reliance on his Accountant father to being fed by little proceeds made from sales of fish (by his mother) has helped the football legend grow empathy for the unprivileged and underprivileged in his community, country, and continent.
In 2006, Samuel Eto’o established a football academy called the Samuel Eto’o Laikipia Football Academy, a School and Environmental Education Centre spread across Africa.
His goal is to promote love for the sport while imbibing the spirit of sportsmanship in kids and Youths alike.
In addition, Eto’o has produced nine graphics novels/comic books based on his life and football story. The bulk of his audience being children and teenagers whom he intends to motivate by building up their dreams in football and the like.
Challenge With Racism:
It is no longer news that successful African players are often faced with racial discrimination in their countries of play.
Samuel Eto’o is not an exception to the social anomaly. This is because he has battled racial discrimination almost all throughout his football career. Starting from Spain down to Russia to mention a few.
In 2006, Samuel Eto’o was racially discriminated against during a match against Real Zaragoza in Spain.
He has been numerously hailed a monkey. This is a racist remark. It is no different to the treatment meted on his Nigerian counterpart, Osaze Odemwingie in Russia. Footballers such as Ross Barkley, who has a Nigerian father, Leroy Sané (himself and his Dad), and Romelu Lukaku have all experienced the harsh realities of racism in their careers.
Having had enough, Eto’o, in an interview with CNN, complained tirelessly about racial discrimination. Especially the one he faced in most countries he has played for by remarking that.
“People insist on racism in Russia but the phenomenon is global. I do not say that I’ve never heard of racist insults here: it would be wrong.”
He is well Travelled:
Like Taiwo Awoniyi and Axel Witsel, Samuel Eto’o is a traveller and an astute adventurer. Thanks to his football career which saw him play in Spain, England, Russia, Qatar, Turkey, Italy, to mention a few. In total, Samuel Eto’o played football at eleven clubs in six countries!
Granting an interview to Courier Russia in 2012, Eto’o revealed what he admires about two specific cities he loves most.
“I am a lover of New York and Moscow made me think because it never sleeps. At two o’clock in the morning, there will always be a place open to eat or drink. Moscow offers this possibility twenty-four hours on twenty-four. This city is changing all the time. The last time I went on vacation and they were raising a building where I lived.
A month and a half later, everything was almost finished. Like New York, people never stop. I like this mentality there.”
Personality Facts:
A major personality trait that Eto’o possess is his cheerfulness and sometimes playful demeanour, which he exhibits during press conferences. The African most decorated player of all time also exhibits a good display of strong character both on the pitch and off the pitch.
To cap it all, he has an extreme love for his family and goes to lengths to keep them close.
Appreciation Note:
Thank you for taking the time to read about Samuel Eto’o, the Inter Milan legend who reached new heights by winning the UEFA Champions League in the 2009/2010 season. We strive for fairness in our content about African football legends, and we hope you find the stories of players like Sunday Oliseh and Sadio Mané equally exciting. If you spot anything that seems incorrect in this article about the Cameroonian legend, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or get in touch with us!
