Eto'o: "Racism is an ongoing struggle"

Barcelona player Samuel Eto'o gave an interview to British tabloid The People.





You are well known for your strong stance against racism in the game. Have you taken up this cause as a personal challenge?
Racism is an ongoing struggle, and we must keep fighting it every single day. Like I always say, they can attack us but they will never defeat us. This issue means a great deal to me and we must be prepared to use whatever means necessary. Racism is vile and we must strive to see it disappear from football.

At the age of just 27 you are already a role model throughout Africa. Is that something you are aware of?
Yes, there's no doubt about it, and I want to keep it up so that even more people will take notice of what Im doing in Europe. Having millions of people watch you play and be influenced by what you do is a responsibility. I consider it to be a great honour.

You must be very pleased that it is now Africa's turn to host the World Cup?
Of course. South Africa 2010 will give our continent an opportunity to prove that we can rise to the biggest challenges and achieve wonderful things. I can hardly wait.

Do you expect Cameroon to be involved?
Of course! After the difficult times that we went through on the qualifying trail for Germany, its time that we got back on the World Cup stage. Besides, I'd love the trophy to stay in Africa. Clearly it would be amazing if we could win it, but our continent has other great teams such as Ghana and Nigeria, who can feasibly set their sights on winning the World Cup.


Read more:
Eto'o wants to continue after 2010
Eto'o: "I already made a decision on my future"
Eto'o wants to negotiate renewal in the summer

Eto'o: "I can still go higher"

Barcelona player Samuel Eto'o gave an interview to French sports site Sportweek.





You will soon turn 28. People say that's the age of maturity for a football player, and more in particular for a striker. Does that scare you?
No, '28 years, the age of maturity', that's just one of these expressions. I myself know that I can still go higher. I'm proving it this season. last summer, I wasn't really welcome at Barcelona. Some people within the club had doubts on me because I suffered a serious injury and it took me some time to return. Nowadays, nobody has doubts anymore. But that's football. people forget very quickly and you always have to proove yourself, show who you are, what you're capable of. Every day, on training. Nothing is given to you.

Not even to you?
Not even to me.

What could prevent Barcelona from becoming the Spanish champions?
We ourselves could. We have such an enormous series of wins that there's a risk we loose focus. We're close to perfection, we're playing incredibly well but that's all fragile. That shouldn't be forgotten.

Last november you said that the team that won the Champions League in 2005-2006 was better than the team of this year. You've changed your mind?
No. We didn't win anything yet. And that's the only thing that matters when judging the quality of a team.

How would you describe the harmony you seem to have inside?
Harmony, that's knowing where to go on the pitch and when to do it. When I watch Leo Messi or 'Titi' make a move, I know what they want to say and instictively I know where to go to. But it's not like that every Sunday. It's enough that one of us is not on top to make everything more complicated.

Olympique Lyon can eliminate you from the Champions League?
In theory we should be a little better but honestly, that doesn't mean anything. They also have great players.

That's just waffle. Which Lyon player would for example have a spot at Barça?
Impossible to say. In football, it's all about adapting. Without thinking too much: Benzema, Juninho and Jean II Makoun.

Jean II Makoun? You're just mentioning him because he's one of your Cameroon friends...
He's a very close friend of mine, but I also think he's a great player who at this moment isn't showing everything he's capable of. If he would be able to join a really big club, that would change a lot of things. I'm not saying that Lyon isn't a big club but there's still a higher level.

Some short questions at the end. How many mobile phones do you have?
Approximately 400. I collect them. It's really a bad obsession.

Who's the most famous person in your directory?
Georgette, my wife.

If there would be made a movie about your life, who could play you?
Denzel Washington. I've adored him in 'American Gangster'.

If you would meet God, what would you like him to say to you?
That I will live long and that I will be able to see my children grow up.

Why did you refuse to pose with the Barcelona shirt?
I don't like players who kiss their shirt after having scored, while the next day they wouldn't hesitate one second about joining another club if they're offered a few millions more. For me, the club of my heart is Mallorca and at this moment I'm working for Barça. That's all.


This was the second and last part of this interview. Read the first part here:
Eto'o: "I already made a decision on my future"

Eto'o: "I already made a decision on my future"

Barcelona player Samuel Eto'o gave an interview to French sports site Sportweek.





When invited by Sportweek to put together an ideal team that didn't include French players, French national team coach Raymond Domenech chose you as centre forward, together with Wayne Rooney. Does that kind of recognition means something to you?
It's of course a great honour if someone like Raymond Domenech, who knows the game of football and what he's talking about, names me in that kind of things. It's an enormous recognition but I don't conclude from that that I'm the best striker in the world. I'm Samuel Eto'o and each day that goes by, I do everything to reach the highest possible. That's all.

You sometimes say that France and Cameroon have a similar place in your heart. Where does this love for France come from?
Where I live, in Cameroon, France is considered an ideal place. There's more, when a player leaves the country for example to go and play in Italy, people say that he leaves "for France". As if France and Europe are the same thing. The language of course plays an important part in this. As I'm concerned, France even means a little more.

Explain that to us...
I arrived in France when I was an adolescent. I participated in a youth tournament in Avignon and I took advantage of it to join an aunt who lived in the Paris region. I stayed a few months with her, in Bobigny.

That was a happy period in your life?
Not really. I didn't have the right documents. I couldn't live and move freely. And football, that meant everything to me, didn't bring me anything good either. I tried to present myself at a draft organised by Paris Saint-Germain, but since I didn't have documents, I was refused at the gate. I was also refused by le Havre and I think I also went to Cannes, but it didn't work out. After nine months, I returned to Cameroon.

You blame France that they didn't received you well?
How could I blame France? I didn't have documents. There are rules in France and they are made to be respected. No, honestly, I don't have any regrets. If my fate would have turned in another direction then, I maybe would have become a Frenchman, and I maybe would have played in the team of Raymond Domenech. Or maybe not.

From the team of Barcelona, people first think about Leo Messi or, over the last years, Ronaldinho. You feel underestimated in France?
I don't think so. And even if that would be the case, that in fact would be a good thing. I spend a lot of time in Paris, I have an apartment there, I have family there and my wife and my children lived there for quite a while before they joined me in Barcelona... In Paris, I can breathe normally. I can walk on the streets without being recognized the whole time. In Barcelona, that's impossible.

You plan to end your career with a French club?
I've already said that if that would be the case, I would like to play at Olympique Marseille. But I don't think it will happen. In contrast, I wish to end my career at Mallorca, where everything started for me. It's there where I launched my career and where I took one of the most important decisions in my life. After having gained some fame there, I could choose between going to England, to Italy, returning to Real Madrid or joining Barcelona. I didn't make a mistake. But I didn't only make excellent decisions in my life...

What's the baddest decision you've ever made?
That has to do with my private life.

Your contract with Barcelona expires in 2010. Are you on the verge of taking a difficult decision: staying with Barça or leaving the club, maybe this year already?
No, that's easy. I actually already made my decision. But I cannot tell anything at this moment.

In general, when one talks like this in February, that's because there's already a deal on a transfer...
That's what you say.

Could Karim Benzema join Barcelona next season to, who knows, replace you?
Benzema is one of those players who can play at every club in the world. So why not Barça? But we also could play together...


This was the first part of this interview. You can read the second part of the interview here in the coming days, with Eto'o talking -among other things- about Olympique Lyon, the next oppnent in the Champiosn League, and about his mobile phone collection.


Read more:
Eto'o wants to negotiate renewal in the summer
Benzema not a transfer target anymore
Eto'o: "Every goal gives you more confidence"

Eto'o: "Every goal gives you more confidence"

Barcelona player Samuel Eto'o gave an interview to Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.





How do you look at today's economic crisis?
Those who are close to you should help you to invest with little risk. God has wanted me to have enough to feed myself and the people around me.

Are you a jealous person?
No, although they have said this about me. I have a lot of friends, I know a lot of people, but there are only few people whom I fully trust.

What does scoring mean to you?
Scoring is football. Everything we do, everything Pep is thinking about, it all has to lead to one thing: scoring. All goals are the same, they are equally important because every goal gives you more confidence. The goal against Real Madrid, the champions, almost at the end of the game. That day I scored in the 82nd minute, but I could have run a thousand times around the pitch to celebrate it.

Winning against Madrid is something special?
Winning every game is special. Of course the clasico is a special match. Every player in the world would like to play it. We should be happy for having defeated Madrid, but it shouldn't become an obsession. I just want this club to continue being important. We should have enough self-esteem to be always one of the best clubs in the world, if not the best.

What about Messi? Is he already one of the best players in the world?
It's easy: he makes the difference. He's still young, yes, and I'll keep on calling him "el Nene" (baby boy), but it's a fact that he has become a predator on the pitch. Before we knew he was good, now he's excellent.

How do you have to solve the problem of the many faults he has to deal with?
In the game against Madrid he suffered a lot, but there have been games where he had to deal with uglier faults. They all know that when el Nene touches the ball, he can deal with everybody.

You returned from Africa last week. How do people celebrate the holidays in Cameroon?
The same as here. Family dinenrs and spending time with friends. People eat a bit of everything. There's no dieting over there. Now it's really hot, around 40-50 degrees.

You once said that you lived in Europe but slept in Africa. Is that still the case?
Yes, I know a lot of people here, but I also have a lot of friends there. Africa is my home.

Can you define your continent?
Africa is happiness.

Despite all the pictures we see here about the poverty?
News is sensation. Failures or negative images sell more than happiness, because you can't say a lot about happiness, you can tell about it once and that's it. You can take much more advantage of the problems.

Despite being as popular over there, you feel more free in Africa?
I don't see myself as someone popular. I know my job attracts a lot of attention, but here or there is the same for me. I always get along with all people and I hope God gives me the strenght to never change.

In Africa, you sometimes have the feeling that life is a gamble?
The truth is that life is a gamble, there and here. The nice thing about Africa is that, despite the problems, people never lose their smile. You never know when God will call you, so you have to live with joy.

When you see how many immigrants try to come to Europe in dangerous circumstances, how do you link that with the happiness?
When you see them catch those little boats, you can see them smile. They don't think about the fact that it could be their last trip. You're seeing it from your house, on your television screen. You give yourself the permission to judge, while you don't know the whole story. Life is short and you have to keep on smiling, no matter what.

You've noticed a decline of racism in the Spanish stadiums?
Until now, yes. But I don't like all the talk about the football stadium just being a reflection of the society. Those who should make decisions, should do that. Nobody can be blamed for being white or black.

Which dreams do you have?
I have very few, but when I dream, they always come true.


This was the third and last part of this interview. You can read the previous parts here:
Eto'o: "I live to be happy"
Eto'o: "Renewal talks should wait for the summer"

Read more:
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Eto'o: "Renewal talks should wait for the summer"

Barcelona player Samuel Eto'o gave an interview to Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.





When he took over, Guardiola said that you weren't part of his plans. Things seem to have changed.
Although I wasn't part of his plans, Pep didn't say I wouldn't be part of the team. He recognized what we had achieved. There were 23 players in the squad last season, but some were given a greater responsiblity, which is normal. Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto'o didn't win games on their own. To be at my best, I need Puyol, I need Valdés, I need Xavi, and all the others. I accept the fact that I hasn't been at my best level over the last two years. It's true, but it's also true I have been injured. I'm not looking for excuses, I'm just saying that Pep hadn't coached me on a daily basis. So his point of view was normal. When he saw how hard I was working during training, I'm sure he said to himself: "Samuel has to stay". When we defeated the champions a few weeks ago, we celebrated together like we had won the league. When I missed the penalty, I told myself that I had to score. I was looking at the scoring board, to see how much time there was left. I started to feel tired, but I had to stay focused. I knew I had to score the one chance I would get. I scored and I started to run. Before, I had told Bojan that I would score, so I ran to him saying "you see, you see" and Pep was also there.

You've played for three Spanish clubs: the one that brought you here but wasted you, the one where you could end your career and Barça. What do you feel for Barça?
The president always says: "I love this club". And we all love it. Once you're part of this club, you don't look elsewhere anymore. Because of the way they treat us, the way the club works, the city... If things are going well, you can't compare it with anything. How could I not fall in love with this club? I also have a lot of feelings for Mallorca and I'm grateful they gave me a first chance when nobody believed in me. I would like to end my career there.

When will that be?
In 2010, I will be 29 years old and the World Cup will take place on my continent. I don't want to look like a fool there or show a lack of respect for the public.

You're thinking about the renewal?
I'm focused on my daily work. I still have a contract. If one day Barça wants me to continue, there will be time for that. If someone, the president or Txiki, tells me that we should sit down to negotiate, I will tell them that I don't want to be distracted now, that they should wait for the summer to settle it. For now, it's only about football and more football. There's no time for distractions, no talks about one euro here or one comma there.

This will be an expensive renewal...
One year there was a important club that wanted to sign me and they were ready to pay me whatever it took...

An English club that plays in a blue shirt?
I don't know (laughs). Anyway, I called the president and I told him that I didn't want to leave Barça, that I would let him know if one day I would. And if that day comes, I will leave as happy as the day they signed me. But I'll be a Barça fan until I die.

During the pre-season, the majority of the teammates asked that Eto'o would continue.
Thank you for reminding that. At a moment in which a lot of people had an opinion about me, my answer was my teammates who said I should stay. They see during the training sessions what I'm about. There were doubts about my attitude in the dressingroom but the answer of my teammates showed my real role. I'm not faking things and I'm a true teammate. I will always be grateful to them. It was a human detail.

That's where the team spirit comes in. Now everybody talks about the group, including yourself. What's the role of Guardiola in this?
I never thought about scoring my goals and that's it. We've lost two years while we had the best player of the world in the squad, everybody was to blame and who was the least to blame was Frank. He dealt with the dressingroom just like he had been doing since the first day. I think he showed being a great person by not changing his way of thinking. When we lost games, we weren't able to raise our head. Mistakes like that are made a lot. But now we have that extra experience. If you don't burn yourself, you never know what it is. But when you have burnt yourself once, you know fire can be dangerous. We will continue with modesty, like Pep wants it. He has used the right words. He, who never had coached in the first division, arrived and introduced the dialogue. And he keeps on doing that. Living like this has a lot of advantages.

You have the feeling that nobody can beat this team?
No, we cannot live things like the fans. We have a lead, but we're not even halfway the league. We know we're playing great, but we also know we're gonna have to face difficult moments. I just ask the fans to bring their enthusiasm to the stadium every game. The moment of celebrating will come later.


This was the second part of this interview. You will be able to read the next part on this blog in the coming days, with Eto'o talking -among other things- about Africa. Read the first part of the interview here:
Eto'o: "I live to be happy"

Read more:
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Bojan: "There's still a lot left to learn"
Eto'o confused by Madrid reactions

Eto'o: "I live to be happy"

Barcelona player Samuel Eto'o gave an interview to Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.





After the Madrid game, you said: "If I fall, I stand up again" and "The best is yet to come".
Those are mottos that keep me going and that I try to transmit to those who are close to me. I'm 27 years old and I've had my problems in life, but life has also teached me to always look back and learn from the mistakes. I raise my head, although it hurts a lot sometimes, and I say to myself that I can achieve it. I live to be happy, whatever happens.

Success can disappear quickly. Rijkaard is an example of that. It seems he hasn't done anything.
No, that's not true. From our point of view, looking at how well the team is doing today, this is partly because of his work. Let's hope Pep will be here forever, but if he leaves one day, his successor will also take advantage of Pep's work. You should almost name a street after him if you see what Frank has achieved here. Barcelona has won two Champions Leagues and he won one of those... Two leagues, two super cups. The team hadn't won anything for five years. I hope this team will do the same. There has to be a lot of respect for Frank, he did great things for the club. If it was up to me, I'd name a street after him so this will not be forgotten and always remembered.

"I raise my head, although it hurts a lot sometimes". Is that what happened during the pre-season?
When I'm saying that, I'm not really refering to football issues. Football is my hobby. It's what I like most, but only behind my children and my wife. Football is something that goes by. I love the game and I live 2000 per cent for it. But I can deal with what comes. Whatever happens, it's a game. You have to be able to win and to loose, because if not, how can you be a great champion? I only dreamt about being a football player. Now they consider me to be a great player and the truth is that I never expected this.

A few months ago, you said that you didn't hold anything against anybody after you had to leave the club last summer. It's really that easy to deal with it?
When I got injured for the second time last season, I was disappointed. Even more because the team wasn't playing well. I decided not to recover on my own because I wanted to be with the others, so we could form a united group. And this summer, when the whole thing started, I knew that hard work was the key. I knew I would be there. I saw it as a natural thing. When I returned, I showed that I was still the player that Barça signed. Since the summer I have tried to be at my best level and my physical condition has permitted this because I didn't feel any more pain in my knee or anywhere else. It's easy to get injured, but recovering is something else. But I'm here, fighting and playing at the top.

What did you feel when the club decided to let you go?
In every big club, there's no time to wait. They have to build their squads. I was the first to recognize that I wasn't at my best level over the past two years, and if I can recognize this, the club has to look for others. I think it was a normal thing. Time wasn't in my favour and the club had to make a decision. Some people are immediately liked, but with others, like myself, you need time to get to know them. Sometimes people tell me that I give an antipathetic impression, but my problem is that since I was twelve I've had a lot of unpleasant surprises.

But are you resentful?
No, why would I hold anything against someone if God can call me tomorrow. I'm here on earth to enjoy and to be happy and I only ask to see my children turn eighteen years old and see that they can make their own decisions.

What about the critics...
They motivate me. I don't read them, but I always have someone who tells me what is being written. A journalist has an opinion but he's not someone from the world of footbal. He's a news professional, so I can't criticize him because I don't know a lot about his job. You have to understand that we all have our preferences. I try to give my best for Barça to play well. If along the riad I have hurt someone, I apologize for that.

Your six-years old son is very critical with you?
We're very close. For him, Messi, Xavi and I have always played fantastic. I'm his father, his idol, everything he says sounds nice.... He has a littel character though... He tells me everything what's on his mind. He resembles his father. It's great to experience something like that. He's hansom, intelligent, clever, passionate about football. The thing is that he has another idol who is pilot and from the other team (Formula 1 driver and Real Madrid fan Fernando Alonso). But Fernando has always acted very correct towards us.


This was the first part of this interview. You will be able to read the other parts on this blog in the coming days, with Eto'o talking -among other things- about his renewal and about Africa.

Read more:
Barcelona wants to renew Eto'o
Henry: "I'm a bit of a loner beause of my youth"
Eto'o confused by Madrid reactions

Eto'o: "I'm still at only 80 per cent"

Barcelona player Samuel Eto'o gave an interview to French sports paper L'Equipe.

Thirteen goals in eleven league games, have you found your best shape again?
No, I'm still at only 80 per cent of my physical abilities, although the injuries are history. And I hope to have left the misery behind.

Barça can win everything this season?
It's possible but one has to be cautious. The team that won the Champions League in 2006 had something extra. The current team could do great things, but it's not about playing well at the start, you have to win something in the end.

Real Madrid doesn't seem able to worry you...
At Barça, we're not talking about our rivals. And even less about Madrid.

The club wanted to sell you this summer. You still need to pay something back?
Not at all. I was on the exit list because at a given moment there were problems in the squad. I decided to say what I thought but I should have said it in the dressingroom and not in public before the media. Later the club thought about getting rid of Ronaldinho, Deco and myself but they were going through difficult times and everything was somehow confused. I suffered two serious injuries and I shouldn't have fought against the time. I made a mistake by reappearing too early. This summer I recovered well and now I'm again enjoying the game.

Guardiola didn't give you a warm welcome...
A coach gets paid to make decisions and that's what Pep did. If he liked it or not, I was there during the pre-season and he understood that some things that had been said maybe weren't true after all.

Is it true that the coach calls the players at night to see if you're all at your place and that you get fined for getting late?
The thing about the phonecalls, that's not true. We have children and we're adult people. About the fines, I think it's important. And if you don't eat with your teammates after the training session, that's not correct either. This seems normal to me. Those details could lead us to winning games.

The situation was different with Rijkaard?
I think that Rijkaard trusted us too much. And football players who are trusted...

Milan wants to sign you...
I'm very happy at Barcelona and I would like to stay until my contract ends.

Would you like Barcelona to sign Benzema?
Yes, the best club in the world needs the best players. He's one of them.


Read more:
Eto'o first choice striker for Milan

Barcelona one of Benzema's favourite clubs

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