Africa’s Spanish legion
Samuel Eto’o
Nationality: Cameroon
Position: Striker
LaLiga clubs: Real Madrid, Espanyol, Mallorca, Barcelona
LaLiga games/goals: 280/162
Perhaps the greatest of them all. Eto’o started his LaLiga career at Real Madrid and ended it at Barcelona, where he is still revered as a goal-poacher and vital member of the side that won three league titles and two UEFA Champions League trophies in his five seasons at the Camp Nou.
Eto’o played just three games in two seasons as a teenager at Real, having previously been sent on loan to second-tier Leganés, and then Espanyol, where he did not play at all.
It was another loan, this time to Mallorca in the 1999/00 season that changed his fortunes and when he made the move permanent the following campaign, he was well on his way to stardom.
After 17 goals in 32 games in 2003/04 he was snapped up by Barca, and instantly installed as first choice, where he would stay for five seasons, netting 108 LaLiga goals in 144 games.
He netted 30 in 36 matches in his final campaign with the club, but moved on to Inter Milan in exchange for Zlatan Ibrahimović.
In his last season with Barca, Eto’o won LaLiga, scored the opening goal as the Catalan giants beat Manchester United in
