9 - Samuel Eto'o

He's still probably loved, but he's definitely lost a hell lot of fans after his antics with leaving, and then going on with suing the club.

Kluivert also had a perfect "service" and how much did he score? This "service" argument is stretched too far.
How do you see guys like Guiza, Forlan or Makaay winning Pichichi´s then?

Bojan said:

Just look at the list I made for you. Mark my words, you`ll see Ibra parting with Barca on bad terms as well and maybe then you´ll open your eyes. That is if Ibra reaches the level of contribution and titles as the mentioned group in the first place. But then again we are still far far away from it.

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What has Ibra to do with this?

Bojan said:

So Steve goes on with his hate mongering. Taking one of his statements in 5 years. Btw. Eto indeed was a hot-head and said a lot of things. Many of which he didnt really mean. But thats the thing about Eto, he spoke his mind out and sometimes said things in a heat of the moment. If you looked at all his statements throughout the years and his commitment then there a little players that were more loyal to the club than him. Certainly none of the non-Spanish/Catalan players.
But now it seems that all it takes is that you sign for a club and kiss a badge few times and suddenly you are a new hero. Yeah, just wipe away all those years but then you also might wanna wipe out 2 CLs and La Liga´s. Barca rarely treated their parting star players in a good way. For you youngsters than cant remember further just think of the Brazilians Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho. All world-class players.

Oh, btw. and Maradona was practically driven away from the club.

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We haven't always treated out players fairly, this is a fact, but I have to disagree with your list. The club's biggest crimes against Maradona and Ronaldinho were letting them indulge themselves. Maradona wzs treated poorly by Nuñez but he was also spoiled and went as far as to trash the trophy room to demand a transfer. In that case it was mutural failure on both parts to make the partnership once. Rivaldo's case was also a clash of egos that can't be fully blamed on the club. Ronaldinho became a cancer and got what he deserved. In all three cases the club dug its own grave by letting their best players indulge themselves only to panic when things went wrong, but none of the players involved were saints. Eto'o's case is somewhat similar to Rivaldo's in that the club turned on both of them due to their selfish natures, but Eto'o wasn't a drug addict or alcoholic like Maradona or Ronaldinho respectively.
Ronaldinho doesn't seem to have taken the divorce personally, he always makes it clear he still cares about the city and the club and probably knows on some level they did what they had to do. Maradona still hates the club, but this is a man who always blamed others for his flaws. Unlike Eto'o or Ronaldinho, he did little for the club and quite frankly Barcelona doesn't need Maradona and he doesn't need Barcelona. However even if I don't think the club was right in either cases, they have turned their backs on plenty of other players before and we will do it again.

agree nolan, eto is a clube legend and deserved all the accolades that he got with the club

Yep, he had a fantastic period at FCB which was one of the most successful in the club's history. He was brilliant for us and I view him as a club legend, and I'm sure when he retires he'll be remembered as one of our greatest strikers, not for the way things ended etc.

I think he's actually our greatest striker of all time, unless someone proves the otherwise.

and u all will be happy to hear a BARCA legend or the best striker in barca history suied BARCA.u just dont sue the club for some fcuking comission or whatever.look at his form now,the statics wd have been lot worse if he wasnt playing here.
dont get me wrong. i too know how important all those goals were but wat he did off the pitch is and are so wrong for our image.

He's suing the club because he believes we have broken a legal agreement. If he hadn't been forced out so publically he might have let the club get away with it but after the way he left why shouldn't he ask for what is apparently rightfully his? I'm not so fickle that something like that would affect my opinion of him.

I'll remember him for what he did in the pitch. Not outside of it.

How can anyone call themself a Barca fan and hate ETO. He was INSTRUMENTAL in 2 CL wins and three league titles. He helped Barca turn into a bigger club with more credibility. RM have won 9CL titles, Milan 7 and Pool 5-even Utd have the same number as us. There are plenty of strikers who get 'service' but arent half as sharp as Eto. LEGEND-will always be despite parting on bad terms. BTW he clearly wanted to stay at Barca but Pep wanted him out. We should have kept him as back up and let him go on a free-he deserved that.

Pep ante portas said:

I think he's actually our greatest striker of all time, unless someone proves the otherwise.

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How about our founder? Or Ronaldo (though that was just one season, he was great)..

eto has 2 goals today with inter

I poorly translated a big part of his interview on Canal +. I couldn't wait for proper translation. Sorry for quality of article, I'm using some web translators - don't know a word of spanish



"Samuel Eto'o assures that "I should never imagine that my exit of the Barcelona would be so hard. There have been a lot of injustices. The law of the soccer indicates that you have to go away of a place when your yield is not good. If it had been like that he would have accepted that they were changing to me, but mine was more than good". "When it was said that I I had to go away from the club: how many teammates went out in my defense? Not just as a football player, but because they knew me day after day", the Inter Milan ace has reflected on an interview in tv show Informe Robinson of Canal Plus
"Since I went out of Barcelona I took the decision not to say anything that could affect the feelings of my former partners because I want them gain everything. But I am disappointed by many people. If I say two, they will point at Pep and (Laporta, but there are many other persons inside this club with whom I have been disappointed", 9 that it has been vital in the conquest of the last two Champions Leagues stated
"If you are a man you say it to the face: ' Here we are, this is my way, my point of view and point'. But to find out from the press of everything that had happend... The way that was acted about my status have been almost scared. With something to hide. Like that they had decided it many months earlier", remembers Eto'o.
"With Laporta... he knows. I will never allow myself to say to a camera everything what I can reproach him. The last time that I spoke with him I said to him that he would never be disappointed and I will always defend him. Neither Laporta nor Pep are the only ones that decide. There are others who hide and decide, but I am never going to name them. They have been always hidden", has told the Cameroonian to Michael Robinson.
"I have played with many players but I have played only with three phenomena. Ronaldinho, Andrés Iniesta and today, I Messi. Ronaldinho in his moment was impressive. When we were going out from the tunnel of Nou Camp I was saying to him: "Black, we are going to arm it". And he was saying to me: "You only run, you will always receive the ball". It is a pity to all see him so often suffering, but that does not remove what it has done. Thanks to him the illusion returned to the Barcelona and he is with the few ones that have marked the history of the soccer and of the Barcelona", said Eto’about 'Ronnie'
In his memoirs there are chapters that it has underlined. "Rijkaard in his moment was the best trainer which Barcelona could have the. But after so many victories he could not punish us because it was hurting him. We often abused his confidence", he indicated."


Source: Mundo Deportivo

Ronaldo was only around for one season and failed to win much silverware of note, as talented as he was he didn't achieve enough to have a lasting contribution on the club. If it's going to be a Brazilian it has to be Romario, though as far as the dream team goes I consider Stoichkov the greater player for Barcelona, not the same kind of scorer but a much greater contributor overall.

Alcantara is probably the "official" greatest striker due to his freakish record but it's hard to judge him in the modern game's context. Kubala's a little more modern but still the product of a different era.