Samuel Eto’o likes to tell his exploits. After all, his career speaks for itself. But his memory seems to play tricks on him. Unless it’s his egocentrism. In a joint interview with Cédric Doumbé, Mike Maignan and Redouane Bougheraba on the ESN Media Youtube channel, the former Cameroonian footballer (43 years old) begins to tell an anecdote about his time at Inter. Except that no factual element supports his story.
“At Inter, once, I had to come and party in Paris with some friends. And I said to Leonardo, who was my coach: ‘Listen Leo, Linate (Milan airport, editor’s note) closes at such and such a time. In the 45th minute, I will have already scored three goals. Get on with it, you’re going to defend’. 38th minute, I had already scored three (…) At half-time, he replaced me, I left and took my plane,” confides Samuel Eto’o, all smiles, in this video posted online on September 4.
No trace of a hat-trick followed by a half-time exit
Problem: Samuel Eto’o never scored a single hat-trick under Leonardo at Inter from December 2010 to June 2011. The only game he finished with three goals that season was before the Brazilian came on as a substitute for Rafael Benitez (on September 29, 2010 against Werder Bremen in the Champions League). Even more curious: he only came off at halftime once in a game. That was on May 22, 2011 against Catania. But he didn’t score a single goal.
Maybe he’s confusing the coaches? Except that the hat-trick against Werder is the only one he scored during his two-season stint at Inter. As for coming off after 45 minutes, that only happened to him twice else at the Nerazzurri, and each time it was without finding the back of the net.
It is therefore difficult to know which match Eto’o is referring to if a similar situation actually existed. In any case, his anecdote recalls another once told by Johan Cruyff: “One day, Romario asked me if he could miss training to go to the carnival (in Rio, editor’s note). I told him: “Ok if you score two goals tomorrow”. The next day, he scored two goals in 20 minutes and asked to be replaced, telling me: “Coach, my plane leaves in an hour”. But as RTVE studied, this could also be an urban legend.
- RMC Sport
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