Samuel Eto’o set to come out of retirement in the Spanish third division

Martin Macdonald

Updated: 23 May 2023 08:47 CDT
4 min read

Samuel Eto’o set to come out of retirement in the Spanish third division — © ProShots

The president of Spanish third division side Real Murcia has claimed that the club could potentially tempt former Barcelona star Samuel Eto’o out of retirement in the coming week.

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The Cameroonian striker most recently played for Qatar SC before retiring from the sport after a glittering career in Europe.

His respective spells with Barca and Inter saw him win three La Liga titles, one Serie A title, and three Champions League titles.

After his time at San Siro, Eto’o played for a number of teams including Chelsea, Everton, and Anzhi Makhachkala.

It was September of 2019 when he announced his retirement.

Eto’o to Real Murcia rated at ’50-50′

He could make a comeback this season, with Racing Murcia president Morris Pagniello saying the deal could be done soon.

“At this time of the morning I would say that the signing of Samuel Eto’o by our team is at 50-50,” Pagniello told Marca.

“Next week we will know if we can sign Eto’o. If not, we have a Plan B prepared.

“We have several investors in Mexico and the Emirates who can financially compensate the operation.

“If we sign him, it is the manager’s job to align him. But we are clear that the game against Levante is very important and that it is time for there to be exceptions.”

Eto’o has played for a number of Spanish sides before, as well as Barcelona.

A youth player at Real Madrid, he was sent on loan to Leganes, Espanyol, and them Mallorca,

He would earn a permanent transfer to Mallorca in 2000 before moving to Barcelona.

It was at Camp Nou he made his name as he scored 130 goals in 199 matches for the Catalans. Indeed, he was the spearhead of Barca’s legendary 2008-09 treble winning team. He notably scored the opening goal of the 2-0 Champions League final win over Manchester United.

If he returns to football, however, it will take place in rather humbler surroundings.