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Barcelona icon Samuel Eto'o was asked to choose the best ever striker he'd seen in the game. Responding to the question, the African great named Brazilian icon Ronaldo Nazário, ahead of the likes of former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi and French sensation Kylian Mbappé.
Speaking on his selection, the former Barcelona and Chelsea striker commented as quoted by AS,
"The best of all was Ronaldo, 'O Fenômeno'. I have such great respect and admiration for him."
Ronaldo was one of the most surreal players to have graced the football pitch and was known for his goalscoring exploits at a number of different clubs in different leagues. The Brazillian, who was crowned FIFA World Player of the Year on three separate occasions, won two FIFA World Cups with Brazil in 1994 and 2002. He also won two Ballons d'Or which came in 1997 and 2002.
He is one of the few players to have played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, while also having played for Inter and AC Milan.
Eto'o insisted that he would put himself in that list as well. He continued,
"Then there are a lot of us who come up behind him, and I’d include myself among them."
When asked about who among the current crop of talented players he would pick to be on this list, Eto'o named Barcelona skipper Messi and Mbappé. He added,
The best current players? I’d have to go with Lionel Messi, who’s more experienced, and Kylian Mbappé, who’s the youngster making the biggest impression. I think he’s going to be the chief global star in the years to come."
Former Barcelona great Eto'o discusses favourite goal and more
Eto'o also discussed some of the greatest African footballers of all time. When asked who the greatest player ever from this region is, the former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker named himself. The Cameroonian forward said,
"It’s difficult to say. There have been many who have won international trophies and African Footballer of the Year awards. I’m one of them, obviously. I won top tournaments with top teams. What would be ideal would be to mix together each of the African stars that there have been to create one player - he’d be the best."
Eto'o remains the only player in football history to have won two consecutive Euroepan trebles in the game — having won it under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona in 2009 and under José Mourinho at Inter Milan in 2010.
When quizzed about what his favorite goal is, the former Barcelona man revealed that it was a strike against Brazil, albeit with a special reason behind it. He said,
“My favourite goal was the one I scored against Brazil in the (2003) FIFA Confederations Cup. It was the first time my mother had come to see a game at the stadium and I was able to say, “Thanks, Mum,” with a message written on a T-shirt.
Lastly, Eto'o was asked to pick his dream attacking trio and unsurprisingly, they were all from his former club Barcelona. The Cameroon great said,
"As for the best attacking trio, it’s very difficult to choose, but I’d go for (Lionel) Messi, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo 'O Fenômeno'."
