African legend Samuel Etoo celebrated his 40th birthday on March 10. On the occasion of the emerald jubilee of the Cameroonian icon, the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) paid tribute to him by reviewing the major figures of his football career.
Three-time winner of the European Champions League and two-time winner of the CAN (2000, 2002), Samuel Etoo is one of the great players in the history of African and world football.
On the occasion of his 40th anniversary on Wednesday, March 10, FIFA paid tribute to the Cameroonian international who had a meteoric rise in his career. The umbrella body of world football, on its official website FIFA.Com, retraced the course of the native of Nkon.
Read below the figures highlighted by FIFA about Samuel Etoo:
“15
In 2012, Samuel Etoo was suspended for 15 matches by his federation after being found partly responsible for the players’ strike which led to the cancellation of a friendly match in Algeria. A suspension reduced to three meetings a few weeks later by FECAFOOT.
9
If he wore number 5 at Everton, if he played with 29 at Chelsea, with 99 at Anzhi Makhachkala, Samuel Etoo has remained loyal to number 9 throughout his international career.
4
With four FIFA World Cups contested, Samuel Etoo is the joint holder of the African record for participations in the queen event (1998, 2002, 2010, 2014). He shares this mark with his compatriots Jacques Songoo and Rigobert Song. He inscribed he has three goals in eight World Cup matches.
4
Samuel Etoo is the only player to have received the African Ballon dOr of the year title four times (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010)!
3
This is the number of major titles won by the Cameroonian under the jersey of the Indomitable Lions: He won the CAN in 2000 and 2002 as well as the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament, Sydney 2000. He was also a finalist in the Confederations Cup in FIFA, France 2003.
3
In the past, the Cameroonian striker had already put his international career on hold twice: first in 2012, after differences with his federation, then in September 2013 before changing his mind a month later. The third and last announcement in 2014 was the right one ”.