Samuel Eto’o Retires From International Football
Retiring from international football seems to be the thing to do these days and former Chelsea FC striker Samuel Eto’o is the latest big time player to do so. Samuel Eto’o announced his retirement from the Cameroon national team via his personal Instagram and official Twitter page.
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Samuel Eto’o retires from the Indomitable Lions as one of their greatest ever players. He made 117 appearances and banged in 56 goals for Cameroon for a goal scoring rate of nearly a goal every two games. Eto’o earned his first cap at the age of 15 and became the youngest player in the 1998 World Cup when he made an appearance against Italy in the group stage.
I inform you that I am ending my international career... Thank you to all Africa, and to all my fans for your unconditional support.SEF
— Samuel Eto'o (@SamuelEtoo) August 27, 2014
Eto’o’s career with Cameroon has not been without its fair share of controversy. He was banned for four matches for refusing to play a friendly against Algeria in 2011 and in 2012 he initially refused to take part in a African Cup of Nations playoff as a form of protest.
"“I wish to inform you that I hereby put a definitive end to my international career. On this occasion, I wish to thank all Africans in particular and all my fans around the world for their love and unconditional support.”Source: BBC.com"
More recently he has become recognized more for his accomplishments for Cameroon than the trouble he has caused off of it. Eto’o became the third African player ever to play in a World Cup when he made the trip to Brazil this summer. He was unable to add to his goal tally in Brazil but Cameroon as whole put in a poor performance.
Samuel Eto’o leaves behind a tremendous legacy for the Indomitable Lions and is one of the greatest African footballers to every play the game. He has won nearly every trophy at the club level and won two African Cup Of Nations trophies in his career. He may still have a few years left in the tank but he made the right decision to step down from international football and let the next generation of Cameroonian footballers flourish.
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