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Cameroon football president Samuel Eto’o Net Worth: Profile, Age, Wife, Cars, Private Jet, Houses, Achievements, How Rich is he in 2024?
Samuel Eto’o background
Samuel Eto'o Fils is a Cameroonian football administrator and former professional footballer who is the current president of the Cameroonian Football Federation.
During his playing career, Eto’o attained remarkable success, winning the African Player of the Year a record four times.
With two AFCON titles to his name, Samuel Eto’o is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations, with 18 goals, and is Cameroon's all-time leading scorer and third most capped player, with 56 goals in 118 caps.
Known for his playing days with Barcelona, Eto’o scored 130 goals in five seasons at the Catalan club and also became the record holder for the most appearances by an African player in La Liga, having won the league three times with the Blaugrana.
At Barcelona, Eto'o came in third for the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2005 and was twice named in the FIFA FIFPro World XI, in 2005 and 2006.
After joining Inter Milan in the 2009–10 season, Eto’o became the first player to win two European continental trebles following his back-to-back achievements with Barcelona and Inter.
Samuel Eto’o Profile
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Full name: Samuel Eto'o Fils
Birth date: March 10, 1981
Nationality: Cameroonian, Spanish
Place of birth: Douala, Cameroon
Age: 43 years old (as of July 2024)
Position: Striker
Current Team: Retired, FECAFOOT (President)
Height: 5 ft 11 in
Marital status: Married
Spouse: Georgette Eto’o
Parents: Mr. David Eto’o (Father) and Mrs. Christine Eto’o (Mother)
Net worth: $95 million (est.)
Instagram: @samueletoo
X: @SamuelEtoo
How old is Samuel Eto’o? (Samuel Eto’o Age)
Samuel Eto’o is 43 years old as of July 2024.
Samuel Eto’o Career
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Having trained at the Kadji Sports Academy in Cameroon, Samuel Eto'o joined Real Madrid's youth academy in 1997, but he could only train with Real Madrid B, as he was still a minor.
Real Madrid B were relegated to the third tier, Segunda División B, where non-EU players are not allowed, and as a result, he was loaned out to second division Leganés for the 1997–98 season. After making 30 appearances for the club and only scoring four goals, he returned to Madrid following the end of the 1998–99 season.
The next season, in the winter transfer window, Eto’o completed a transfer to La Liga team Mallorca on loan, where he scored six goals in 19 games.
At the end of the season, Eto'o left Real Madrid, signing a permanent deal with Mallorca for a club record £4.4 million fee.
In his second season, he scored 11 goals and began to gain prominence in the league.
That season, Eto'o also scored in two consecutive away wins against his former club Real Madrid - one was in a 1-5 thrashing, the only home loss of the Los Blancos who went to win the 2002-03 La Liga title, the other ended with a 2-3 result that denied a back-to-back La Liga win for Real.
In the summer of 2004, Samuel Eto'o departed Mallorca as the club's all-time leading domestic league scorer (54 goals) and signed for Barcelona for a transfer fee of €24 million, after lengthy, three-way negotiations with Mallorca and Madrid.
Initially, Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez wanted to buy back the full transfer rights and loan him out again, but eventually the Barcelona deal proved lucrative enough to warrant a sale.
That same season, Eto’o won the La Liga title with the Catalan club.
After missing out on the previous year's Pichichi trophy, which is given to the top scorer in La Liga, Eto'o edged out Valencia striker David Villa for the award during the final matchday on 20 May 2006 when he scored his 26th goal of the season against Athletic Bilbao.
Eto'o also contributed six goals during Barcelona's run to the 2005–06 Champions League title and was awarded with the UEFA Best Forward of the Year award for his accomplishments in the European campaign.
At Barcelona, Eto'o also won an historic third consecutive African Player of the Year award that season.
He was also selected to his second consecutive FIFPro World XI and finished third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year, making him only the second African footballer ever, after the Liberian star George Weah, to be voted into the top three.
The following season started badly for Eto'o, as he ruptured the meniscus in his right knee during Barcelona's Champions League group stage match against Werder Bremen on 27 September 2006.
Eto’o was sidelined for five months only to return to training in January 2007.
However, the following month Eto'o refused to come on as a substitute in a league match against Racing de Santander.
Barcelona head coach Frank Rijkaard said after the match, "He did not want to come on; I don't know why."
Ronaldinho was also critical of Eto'o's actions, saying that Eto'o was not putting the team first, but Eto'o rebutted the comment, claiming that he did not come on because he did not have enough time to warm up properly.
Following Pep Guardiola’s appointment as Barcelona manager in the 2008/09 season, the Spaniard made headlines by announcing that stars such as Ronaldinho, Deco, and Eto'o were not part of his plans.
Eto'o ultimately remained with the club, while the other two players departed, although Eto'o and Guardiola reportedly had several disagreements throughout the season.
Eto'o recorded his first league hat-trick in a match against Levante on 24 February 2008.
He finished with an impressive tally of 16 league goals in 18 appearances for the season.
On 25 October, Eto'o recorded the fastest hat-trick in club history after netting three times in 23 minutes in a victory over Almería.
Two games later, Eto'o scored four goals in the first half of Barcelona's game against Real Valladolid, which ended 6–0.
On 29 November 2008, he scored his 111th career Barcelona goal in all competitions in a 3–0 road win over Sevilla, moving him into the club's top ten all-time goalscorers.
On 14 February 2009, he scored his 99th and his 100th league goals for Barcelona in a 2–2 draw with Real Betis.
Eto'o scored his 30th goal of the 2008–09 season in a La Liga match against Real Valladolid.
Eto’o scored 30 goals in the season, finishing second in the Pichichi Trophy goalscorers list behind Atlético de Madrid's Diego Forlán.
Eto'o famously opened the scoring in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final against Manchester United as Barcelona went on to win the final 2–0, thus completing the Treble.
The trio of Lionel Messi (38 goals), Eto'o (36 goals) and Thierry Henry (26 goals) scored exactly 100 goals between them in the club's historic treble year.
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After Maxwell completed the transfer from Inter Milan, Barca president Joan Laporta confirmed that there was an agreement in principle between Barcelona and Inter Milan for Zlatan Ibrahimović to join the club in exchange for Eto'o and €46 million.
On 27 July 2009, Eto'o passed his medical and signed for five years with Inter.
On his first press-conference in Milan, he declared that he was where he wanted to be and refused to compare himself to Ibrahimović saying, "I'm Samuel Eto'o and I don't want to compare myself to anyone. I believe the victories I have earned up to now can contribute to giving the right value to my name."
At the end of September 2009, Eto'o demanded almost £2.75 million from Barcelona after his transfer to Inter.
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The amount represented 15% of the £17.7 million (US$29 million) fee which Inter paid Barcelona in July 2009.
Eto’o’s demand was based on a Spanish rule that a player should get 15% of the amount of his transfer to another Spanish club. If the parties failed to reach a solution, the matter could go to court.
Samuel Eto'o won his first silverware with Inter on 5 May 2010 as Inter defeated Roma 1–0 at Stadio Olimpico to lift the Coppa Italia.
His 12 Serie A goals helped Inter claim another championship, the fifth consecutive, after defeating Siena in the final matchday.
On May 22, Eto'o played in the third Champions League final of his career, as Inter won 2–0 over Bayern Munich to win the first title in 45 years, with Eto’o assisting Diego Milito who bagged a brace under the managerial helm of Jose Mourinho.
With Inter's triumph over Bayern Munich, Eto’o became the only player to win the treble in consecutive seasons with two different teams.
In December, Eto'o played in the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup, scoring against TP Mazembe in the final as Inter won 3–0 and lifted their fifth trophy of the year.
Additionally, he was named the best player of the tournament.
On 25 August 2011, Eto'o announced his departure from Inter Milan via an open letter to the fans. Eto’o left Inter after scoring 53 goals in 102 appearances.
In August 2011, Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala reached an agreement with Inter to sign Eto'o in a three-year deal that made him the world's highest-paid player, with a salary of €20 million (after taxes) per season.
However, two years later, Anzhi's billionaire owner Suleyman Kerimov shocked the Russian football world by deciding to scale down the club's ambitions and drastically shrink its budget.
As a result, almost all of the star players, previously signed in a bid to make the club world-beaters, were available on the transfer market.
After his stint in Russia, Eto’o played for Chelsea, Everton, Sampdoria, Antalyspor, Konyaspor, and Qatar SC.
He signed for Qatar SC in August 2018 and in September 2019, Eto’o announced his retirement from professional football.
Samuel Eto’o International Career
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Eto'o earned his first cap with Cameroon one day before his 16th birthday on 9 March 1997, in a 5–0 friendly loss to Costa Rica.
In 1998, he was the youngest participant in the 1998 FIFA World Cup when he appeared in a 3–0 group stage loss to Italy on 17 June 1998, at the age of 17 years and three months.
Samuel Eto'o scored his sole goal of the 2002 FIFA World Cup when he netted the game-winner against Saudi Arabia during the group stage on 6 June 2002, which was Cameroon's only win of the competition.
Eto'o was a part of the squads that won the 2000 and 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, and was a gold medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics
In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Eto'o became joint leading goalscorer (along with Laurent Pokou) in the competition's history after scoring his 14th goal with a penalty against Zambia on 26 January 2008.
In the following game against Sudan, on 30 January, Eto'o converted another penalty to become the tournament's all-time leading scorer, followed by another goal in the same match that took his Cup of Nations tally to 16.
He finished as the top scorer for the second consecutive tournament, matching his 2006 total of five goals.
In December 2010, Eto'o became the first man to be named African Player of the Year four times.
In December 2011, Eto'o was suspended 15 games by the Cameroonian Football Federation, after the team refused to play a friendly against Algeria earlier in the year.
The ban was later reduced to eight months in January 2012, meaning Eto'o would only miss four competitive matches.
The change was brought about after Cameroon President Paul Biya asked officials to reconsider the controversial sanction.
On 27 August 2012, Eto'o was in the squad to face Cape Verde in the first leg of a qualification play-off for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, but the striker refused to play, as a protest against what he described as the "amateurish and poorly organised" national team set-up.
After an intervention from Cameroon Prime Minister Philemon Yang, Eto'o agreed to return for the second leg.
However, Eto'o's return was not enough for Cameroon to overturn a 0–2 first leg deficit, and the Indomitable Lions failed to qualify for the Cup of Nations.
In June 2014, Eto'o was selected in Cameroon's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, becoming the third African to participate in four tournaments after compatriots Jacques Songo'o and Rigobert Song.
After signing for Everton, Eto'o announced his retirement from international competition on August 27, 2014.
Samuel Eto’o Style of Play
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In his prime, Samuel Eto'o was regarded by pundits as one of the best strikers in the world.
Eto’o is widely regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time.
He is often ranked among the three greatest African strikers, alongside George Weah and Didier Drogba.
Despite losing some of his speed with age, he continued to maintain a consistent goalscoring rate as a striker, due to his ability to get into good positions and time his attacking runs.
Beyond his speed and goalscoring, Eto'o was also known for his remarkable first touch, close control, and passing ability in his prime; even in his advancing age, he maintained his dribbling skills in his later career, which he used to his advantage to beat defenders and assist or create chances for teammates.
In his mid-thirties Eto'o incorporated an ‘old man’ routine in his goal celebration – a response to jibes by José Mourinho about being too old – where he bent over and started walking slowly with an imaginary cane, with the celebration featuring in the now-defunct EA Sports’ FIFA video game FIFA 18.
Samuel Eto’o post-retirement
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After retiring from professional football in 2019, Eto'o was elected President of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) on December 11, 2021.
However, his administration has been marred by several controversies including match-fixing as well as team and administrative disputes.
On July 4, 2024, the disciplinary committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) slapped a $200,000 (₦300 million) fine on Samuel Eto'o after being found guilty of violating their ethics code.
An official statement read: "The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) Disciplinary Board sat on the matter of Fédération Camerounaise de Football (‘’FECAFOOT’’) President Mr Samuel Eto’o Fils. Mr Eto’o was facing charges of alleged manipulation of football matches and violating the principles of ethics and integrity.
"The Disciplinary Board ruled that as it stands, there is insufficient proof to find Mr Samuel Eto'o Fils and Mr Valentin Nkwain guilty of match manipulation.
"However, the Disciplinary Board found Mr Eto'o to have seriously violated the principles of ethics, integrity and sportsmanship as provided in Article 2 paragraph 3 of the CAF Statutes by signing a Brand Ambassador contract with the company 1XBET in exchange for remuneration and consequently fined Mr Eto’o an amount of 200,000 USD. "
Samuel Eto’o Career Achievements
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National Team Level: Cameroon
African Cup of Nations: 2000, 2002
Olympic Gold Medal: 2000
Club level: Mallorca
Copa del Rey: 2002–03
Club level: Barcelona
La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09
Copa del Rey: 2008–09
Supercopa de España: 2005, 2006
UEFA Champions League: 2005–06, 2008–09
Club level: Inter Milan
Serie A: 2009–10
Coppa Italia: 2009–10, 2010–11
Supercoppa Italiana: 2010
UEFA Champions League: 2009–10
FIFA Club World Cup: 2010
Samuel Eto’o Individual Achievements
African Cup of Nations all-time top goalscorer
RCD Mallorca all-time top goalscorer
Cameroon all-time top goalscorer
Young African Player of the Year: 2000
African Player of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010
ESM Team of the Year: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11
FIFA World Player of the Year Bronze Award: 2005
FIFA FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006
UEFA Team of the Year: 2005, 2006
CAF Team of the Year: 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Pichichi Trophy: 2005–06
UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2005–06
African Cup of Nations top goalscorer: 2006, 2008
UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2006
FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2010
Coppa Italia top goalscorer: 2010–11
Russian Premier League MVP Award: 2012–13
Golden Foot: 2015
Globe Soccer Player Career Award: 2016
IFFHS All-time Africa Men's Dream Team: 2021
Inter Milan Hall of Fame: 2021
What is Samuel Eto’o’s Net Worth in 2024? (Samuel Eto’o Net Worth)
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As of 2024, Samuel Eto’o is estimated to have a net worth of $95 million, having earned most of his fortune from solely playing football.
The FECAFOOT president is widely considered as one of the richest African footballers of all time, having once held the title of the ‘world’s highest paid footballer’.
Asides football, Eto’o also nets significant income from ambassadorship deals as well as his private businesses including real estate.
Eto'o was appointed Ambassador of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
After the Brazil-South Korea match, he was filmed kneeing a man in the face after a confrontation. News reporters were unable to identify the man or reason behind the attack, which did not appear to cause any serious injury.
In 2018, Eto'o purchased a property for Norbert Owona, who once captained the Cameroon national soccer team.
Owona lost everything and eventually became homeless, and this prompted Samuel to step in.
After assisting him with his medical bills, Eto'o promised to purchase a home for the former soccer star.
In 2015, rumors started to spread about another real estate purchase that Eto'o was considering.
He allegedly planned to purchase a mansion in Italy worth 18.5 million pounds. Later, Eto’o stated that he had never considered buying the property.
Samuel Eto’o personal life
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Samuel Eto'o is a native of Nkon, a suburb of Yaoundé.
He has two brothers who are also footballers: David and Étienne. .
He married his longtime sweetheart Georgette on 6 July 2007.
Georgette is the mother of Siena and Lynn, who both live with her in Paris.
However, Eto’o has been involved in series of legal battles with this other daughters over negligence of his paternal duties.
In December 2023, it was reported that Eto’o was sued by his Italian daughter from another mother Annie Eto'o Barranca over his alleged failure to fulfill his obligations as a father.
Prior to that, Eto’o was accused of neglecting some payments that would amount to €90,000, meant for his Spanish daughter from another mother Erika do Rosario.
On 17 October 2007, he earned his Spanish passport.
Eto'o was crowned paramount chief in Kaffu Bullom, a chiefdom in Sierra Leone in November 2015. He was visiting Sierra Leone as part of the FIFA "11 for Health and 11 against Ebola" programme in the country.
He is also a supporter of French club Paris Saint-Germain.
In April 2024, an emotional Samuel Eto’o was pictured in tears as he laid his father to rest in his native Ngambe. Eto’o’s father David Eto’o, had passed away in 2023 after battling sickness.
Who is Samuel Eto’o’s wife? (Samuel Eto’s wife)
Samuel Eto’o is currently married to Ivorian Tra Lou Georgette.
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The couple got married in a low key ceremony on November 24, 2014, having been together for a decade.
The ceremony took place in Capiago Intimiano, in the romantic Como in Italy.
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Eto’o reportedly proposed to her in July with a $540,000 diamond ring, although the pair had been traditionally married since 2007.
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Georgette Eto'o is on Instagram with her account boasting over 112,000 followers on the platform.
Samuel Eto’o Cars
Having earned lucratively during his playing career, Samuel Eto'o lavished his money on an expensive fleet of cars worth over $5million.
Eto'o has always been a fan of cars and even reportedly offered former Cameroon striker Roger Milla a porsche as a Christmas present in 2010.
He was quoted to have said as per Daily Mail: 'I like to have a few cars because it gives me choice and it doesn't hurt anybody.
'To give happiness, the first thing is to be happy oneself, and I am.'
The pick of Eto’s expensive car collection is his $2 million Bugatti Veyron which, according to reports, was specially delivered along with three other vehicles to the Chelsea’s training ground after his move from Anzhi.
As well as the Veyron, Eto'o reportedly also spent $1.8 million on an Aston Martin One-77.
The ex-Cameroon footballer also copped a luxury Maybach Xenatec for a whopping $956,000 and an Aston Martin V12 Zagato for $574,000.
Samuel Eto’o Private Jet
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Samuel Eto’o is one of the few footballers who managed to own a private jet on their career.
The former Barcelona striker reportedly owns a Bombardier Challenger 604 estimated to cost between $6 million - $7 million, as per Liberty Jets.
Samuel Eto’o House
In April 2024, photos emerged of Eto’o’s exquisite and stately villa which he allegedly built in his village Ngambé.
The building was reportedly constructed, a few months before his father's funeral.
Eto’o is also said to own several mansions in his country Cameroon.
Samuel Eto’o Social Media
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Samuel Eto’o is on social media where he is often active.
Eto'o has been cited as one of the most influential African footballers of all time.
His Instagram account has more than 6.8 million followers, making him the most-followed Cameroonian footballer on Meta’s platform.
Eto’o often shares snaps of his personal life and football career as well as his family and children on his social media page.
Eto’o’s account on X, has more than 1.9 million followers, the most for any Cameroonian footballer.
Samuel Eto’o is also the most-followed Cameroonian footballer on Facebook with 14 million followers worldwide.
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