Eto'o wants to continue after 2010

Asked about his future, Barcelona forward and Cameroon international Samuel Eto'o (27) has repeated in an interview with Catalan television channel Canal Català that he wants to stay at the club:

"Of course I want to continue. Although I've never hidden my love for Mallorca -which isn't something bad I think- I've learnt to love Barça over the past years. I've actually already made this decision five years ago. I want people to feel that I'm full of Barça. I sure feel loved and appreciated by the fans.

It's true that things were going bad last summer. I accepted it because I understood what was going on, but I also was motivated to show that I'm important for the club and my team-mates. I'm happy and feeling good here, so I don't see why I would want to leave. I'm at the best club in the world.

I think I could play together with Benzema or Villa in the same team. Good players always connect. Benzema is very fast and dangerous. I don't see any problem to play with him. And about Villa I can only say that he's a fantastic football player.

I also want to make clear that Madrid is a closed chapter for me. I thank them for giving me the chance to come to Europe. Because of that my family has a better life now. But I will never go to Madrid because I'm aware of the rivalry between Barça and Madrid and I don't want to hurt the feelings of the culés.

The president is a friend of mine. Jan was very clear this summer. He was going through a difficult time and I understood that. I recognized that I didn't had been on my best level because I had suffered two injuries. And I don't hold anything against the coach, because Barça pays him to make decisions and until this moment he made more correct than incorrect decisions. Besides that, he's a great person.

I understood that what happened during the summer was a normal thing, because people talked a lot about me and I seemed to be the mad guy in the dressingroom. But the coach is smart and after one month together he understood who I really am. With Pep, we've started all over.

I'm probably the only player who is asked by his team-mates to stay. Which is quite strange if they say that I'm doing stupid things and behaving bad in the dressingroom. If important players like Víctor, Andrés, Xavi, Puyi, Márquez... say that I should stay, that should make people think. I've always tried to do good for the team.

Pep is the coach Barça needed after two years with problems, like Barça needed Frank when he arrived. Guardiola surprises me more every time. It doesn't look like this is his first year as a coach in the first division. Tactically he knows a lot, he knows to listen, he accepts your point of view and he can rectify things when it's necesary. I have an excellent relatonship with him. Everybody knows that Luis Aragonés is for me the best coach in the world and I can say that Pep uses the same language as Luis.

I will be here until the end of my contract if the club thinks I can be useful... After 2010, I also want to continue. My hope is to be able to continue at Barça. I feel involved and I want to triumph at Barça. I want to continue at this club as long as Barça and my body allow it."

Read more:
Eto'o: "I already made a decision on my future"
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Eto'o wants to stay at Barcelona