Samuel Eto’o is now being described as the most decorated African football player of all time. During an awards ceremony in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, the 29-year-old Eto’o was crowned African Footballer of the Year for an unprecedented fourth time. The star striker for Inter Milan and “The Indomitable Lions” of Cameroon previously won the award in 2003, 2004, and 2005.
I think Eto’o is a deserving winner, based simply on his success with Inter Milan this year. He helped the Italian power win the European Champions League title, Italy’s Serie A championship, the Italian Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup. In fact, Eto’o received the African Footballer of the Year award in Cairo only two days after being named the outstanding player at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Veteran soccer analyst Tommy Smyth describes Eto’o as the best pure striker in the game today, with a deadly finishing touch. Eto’o admits this year’s World Cup in South Africa was a huge disappointment for him and “The Indomitable Lions” of Cameroon. While Eto’o scored two goals in South Africa, Cameroon lost all three of its group matches and made a quick exit. It was Eto’o’s third World Cup. He’s also had much success at the biennial African Nations Cup, and is the all-time leading scorer at the tournament, with 18 goals. Look for Samuel Eto’o to score more goals for Inter Milan and Cameroon in 2011.
A Sonny Side of Sports salute for Samuel Eto’o, the 2010 African Footballer of the Year.
Winner of AFY is Asamoah Giyan from Ghana, Eto’o and a bunch of others were a distant second
Thanks for checking in, Tia. While Gyan definitely had a better World Cup than Eto’o, for my $.02, Eto’o’s trophies with Inter Milan during 2010 far outweigh what Gyan did with Sunderland.