Former FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o is the new president of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT).
The 40-year-old former Cameroon international who is arguably the most decorated footballer from Africa was voted president of his country’s FA on December 11, 2021.
Samuel Eto’o defeated Seidou Mbombo Njoya, the fourth vice-president at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) with 43 votes from members of FECAFOOT’s general assembly.
This means that Samuel Eto’o will be in charge of the Cameroon FA during the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations scheduled to kick off on January 9, 2022.
Hours before the election on Saturday, seven candidates of the election withdrew their candidacy which streamlined the contest to two aspirants – Eto’o and Seidou.
Some of the candidates that withdrew their candidacy include former Cameroon internationals Maboang Kesack and Jules Denis Onana.
During the electioneering campaign, Eto’o who ended as the winner of the contest promised to “bring footballers to the center” of his policies, adding that his administration would ensure that players in the country “make a decent living out” of their career.
“I’ve spoken to the business community and we’re certain we’ll get the right investors who can accompany us in fulfilling our goals,” Eto’o said.
After it was confirmed that he has won the election, the four-time African footballer of the year, took to his verified Twitter page to promise that his administration would take football in Cameroon to the next level.
“I’ll be remembering today as one of the proudest moments of my life,” Eto’o tweeted on Saturday, December 11.
“Every vote represents the energy and ambition of our football family to take our beloved sport to a level we’ve never seen before.”
I’ll be remembering today as one of the proudest moments of my life. I’m deeply grateful for to be elected as the new president of @FecafootOfficie. Every vote represents the energy and ambition of our football family to take our beloved sport to a level we’ve never seen before. pic.twitter.com/2z8fjLBMLA
— Samuel Eto'o (@SamuelEtoo) December 11, 2021
Why Samuel Eto’o is regarded as the most decorated African player
Though George Weah who is currently the president of Liberia remains the only African player to ever win the Ballon d’Or, Samuel Eto’o is an unprecedented achiever in terms of team success and individual accolades.
The 40-year-old Cameroon football icon played for 14 clubs across Europe and Asia between 1997 and 2019.
He started his illustrious football career at Real Madrid and then went on to have a legendary spell at FC Barcelona in 2004 where he scored over 108 goals in 144 games.
After a successful five years in FC Barcelona, Eto’o moved to Inter Milan in 2009 and had a successful spell at the club for two seasons. He scored 33 goals in 67 games before he left in 2011.
He switched to the Premier League by joining Chelsea in 2013 where he scored 9 goals in 21 games. He also had a short spell at Everton in 2014 before he retired from professional football at Qatar SC in 2018.
Throughout his club football career, Samuel Eto’o scored a total of 293 goals and made 587 appearances in all competitions.
In terms of titles, Eto’o won 15 club titles including three La Liga titles, three UEFA Champions League, one Seria A, and one FIFA Club World Cup.
While for Cameroon, Samuel Eto’o played for his country’s national team 118 times and scored 56 times to become the country’s all-time highest goalscorer and Africa Cup of Nations all-time highest goalscorer.
He helped the country to win Gold in the 2000 Olympics Games. He also helped Cameroon to win two Africa Cup of Nations before he retired from international football in 2014 as the first player to ever win the African footballer of the year award four times. Eto’o jointly holds the record with Yaya Toure.
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