Eto'o deserved a Ballon d'Or

Inter Milan forward Samuel Eto'o (L) celebrates with his team mate Wesley Sneijder (R) after scoring against CFC Genoa 1893 during the Italian Serie A soccer match at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, 06 March 2011.

by Staff Reporter

Friday Sep 20, 2019. 18:00

Former Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho believes Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o should’ve won the Ballon d’Or at least once during his illustrious career.

Eto’o officially called time on his playing career earlier this month, having won most notable two Africa Cup of Nations titles and three Uefa Champions League crowns during a glittering 22-year career.

The former Barcelona forward worked with Mourinho at both Inter Milan – where the pair won an unprecedented treble – and Chelsea during the forward’s short stint at Stamford Bridge.

“It’s difficult to understand how Samuel Eto’o never won the Ballon d’Or with the impressive career he had” Mourinho told Cameroon Radio, as per BBC Sport.

“Samuel played for the best teams in the best leagues in the world. He scored an incredible amount of goals and was successful in different leagues.

“He played three champions league finals, winning two with Barcelona and scoring in both finals. He also won one champions league at Inter and won many league titles.

“He was the best striker in the world for several years and I think he deserved a Ballon d’Or but these are things out of our control,” Mourinho concluded.

The four-time African Footballer of the Year finished third behind Ronaldinho and Frank Lampard in the 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year nominations.