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Samuel Eto'o - the main contender for the title of the best striker of this season's Spanish championship. And his - the main contender to win the same championship. Does it take much to be considered a star? Today, Madrid's management is determined to do everything for Eto'o to move to the capital's team. And eight years ago in the Royal club, he was not even noticed.
Forgotten at the airport
In 1996, a small and shy fifteen-year-old boy from Africa ended up at Madrid airport. During a Europe tour, "Real" scouts noticed him and invited him to their team. But it happened that no one met him at the airport. "Real" simply forgot that Eto'o was arriving that day, and no one was sent to greet him. So the player spent long hours wandering the airport, unable to speak a word of Spanish. The relationship between Samuel Eto'o and "Real" is perfectly defined by this incident. Etoo was the man "Real" forgot.
Almost immediately after arriving in Spain, Eto'o was loaned to the modest "Leganes" - to gain invaluable playing experience that "Real" failed to provide. In that club, the Cameroonian played 28 matches, scoring 3 goals, and was then returned to Madrid. Returned to be loaned out again. This time - to a much stronger club - "Mallorca". In the Balearic Islands, Eto'o shone 6 times in 12 matches, and then "Real" decided that such a player needed to be reclaimed. He finished the 1999/2000 season at the Royal club, but only appeared on the pitch five times, and.. was returned to "Mallorca", this time for a long four seasons. Furthermore, this time rights to the football player were equally divided between both clubs.
Duplicate at the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium
The boy did not forget the humiliation, but he did not show it. He just started scoring goals. And with great enthusiasm - for "Real", whose gates he wanted to "dry" more than anything else. He became a real terror for the Royal club. But no one rushed to bring him back. With the arrival of Florentino Perez as the main club strategy became buying stars. And who is this Eto'o? Well, he won the African Cup twice with Cameroon's national team, so what? And here is Ronaldo!
And Etoo kept scoring and scoring against "Real" - in almost every game. In the 2002/03 season at the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium, although he did not score himself, with his help, his teammates simply crushed the hosts. "Real" was smashed 5-1. The next year, home matches with "Mallorca" ended in defeat for the Madrid team again. This time, however, not as devastating - 2-3, but Etoo himself shone in full glory. With vengeful malice, he twice in a row knocked out "Real's" defensive bastions.
And even despite that, they still did not hurry to bring him back. Stop! - he is the very boy we need - the bosses from Barcelona finally realized, as the club languished in the shadow of "Real's" stars from a young age. The Catalans decided that if Eto'o played so well against "Real" in the "Mallorca" lineup, why not bring success to another team against the eternal rival? And they decided to buy this player. Do we need to say now that they didn't miss? "Real" with its "galactic" stars has been openly struggling for half a season, and "Barca" together with Eto'o is rushing at full speed towards the long-awaited champions title.
