FECAFOOT president Samuel Eto’o recalls arriving at Barajas airport at 16 with no Real Madrid official there to meet him, helped by an African cleaning worker, according to Diario Sport.
Samuel Eto’o, now president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT), has looked back on his early days at Real Madrid. According to remarks reported by the website 24直播网 citing Diario Sport, the former striker explains that at 16, no club official came to meet him at Barajas airport in Spain.
The current federation president says he was helped by an African cleaning worker at the airport, who offered to take him to the club after his shift. Eto’o says he is still in contact with the man today.
A lone arrival at Barajas
“When I left for Spain at 16, no Real Madrid official and nobody close to the club came to wait for me at Barajas airport,” Samuel Eto’o said, as quoted by 24直播网 via Diario Sport. The account contrasts with the image of a prestigious transfer: the young Cameroonian landed in Spain alone.
Spotted in Cameroon after starring in the Cameroon Cup and local competitions, he was not yet 17 when he left his country to join the Madrid club.
Leganés, Mallorca then Barcelona
After his first season, Real Madrid loaned him to Leganés. Eto’o then shone at Mallorca, and later at Barcelona. Despite that path, he insists he holds no grudge against his first Spanish club: “I have no grudge against Real Madrid.”
Still the all-time top scorer of the Indomitable Lions, he believes the experience helped him grow: “That experience helped me grow, both personally and as a footballer.”
The FECAFOOT presidency
Samuel Eto’o was elected FECAFOOT president on 11 December 2021, beating former federation president Seidou Mbombo Njoya by 43 votes to 31.