Eto’o Retires from International Football
Cameroon striker, Samuel Eto’o Fils has retired from international duty after being excluded from the AFCON qualifiers squad, and hence stripped of the Cameroon captaincy.
The 33-year-old, who has been replaced as national skipper by Stephan M’Bia, made the announcement via his official Twitter page, saying: “I inform you that I am ending my international career.
“Thank you to all Africa, and to all my fans for your unconditional support.”
Eto’o made his Cameroon debut as a 15-year-old against Costa Rica and was the youngest player at the 1998 World Cup after being called up by Claude Le Roy at the age of 17.
He has 56 goals from 118 caps, Cameroon’s all-time leading scorer and also the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations, with 18 goals.
He has participated in three World Cups and six Africa Cup of Nations, helping the Indomitable lions claim gold at the 2000 Olympics and win two Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2000 and 2002.
He was also named the African Player of the Year for a record four consecutive years – 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010- and was third in the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2005.
