Zlatan vs Eto'o

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Peak I'd say Eto'o by a good distance.

Won the CL with Barca, then Inter the following year, where a massive part in both of them.

Worth noting Ibra replaced Eto'o at Barca and flopped.

 

[Lennon7]

But who is better between Zlatan, George Weah and Joey Barton???????

Tough one. I'd say Van Aanholt just edges it

 

[Vilev]

Zlatan has more hype, Eto'o has more football value. He works for the team better. He won CL with Barcelona, went to Inter and won CL there. Ibra went to Barcelona and the team became weaker and Ibrahimovic was shipped out as a flop. That's all you need to know. It almost like a direct rivalry, it means Eto'o was capable of helping his team to CL glory. Zlatan just was not, he was good in league where his team was much more dominant, like Inter or PSG, but when it came to Europe Zlatan always fell short.

 

[Brown Toothpick]

Eto'o. He's done it all and won it all. Doesn't disappear on the big stage either.

 

[berbatrick]

Zlatan has more hype, Eto'o has more football value. He works for the team better. He won CL with Barcelona, went to Inter and won CL there. Ibra went to Barcelona and the team became weaker and Ibrahimovic was shipped out as a flop. That's all you need to know. It almost like a direct rivalry, it means Eto'o was capable of helping his team to CL glory. Zlatan just was not, he was good in league where his team was much more dominant, like Inter or PSG, but when it came to Europe Zlatan always fell short.

Why should fitting into the very specialised Barca machine be the only criteria? I don't recall Eto'o ever inspiring his team like Zlatan at Milan.

 

[VorZakone]

Eto'o better in his peak, Zlatan more consistent?

 

[Carlsen19]

Never rated Eto hes always been abit crap i think

lol.

 

[Distracted Steward]

the deal between Inter and Barcelona seemed the most stupid ever. I considered Eto'o twice the player as Zlatan + Barcelona dished out about £20m on top of Eto'o

Eto'o went on to win the CL with Inter while Zlatan fell out with everyone at Barcelona

Based on this alone Im going to say Eto'o was much better but Zlatan seems to have aged far better

I remember when I first read it, I thought it was Zlatan and the money for Eto'o. I was baffled when I re-read it.

I couldn't figure out why they shipped off Eto'o let alone at the cost. Zlatan was one of the best strikers available, but I couldn't figure out why they were getting rid of a guy that helped make them so dangerous.

 

[Bojan11]

I remember when I first read it, I thought it was Zlatan and the money for Eto'o. I was baffled when I re-read it.

I couldn't figure out why they shipped off Eto'o let alone at the cost. Zlatan was one of the best strikers available, but I couldn't figure out why they were getting rid of a guy that helped make them so dangerous.

Pep didn't like Eto.

Eto was a bit of a nutcase.

 

[Distracted Steward]

Pep didn't like Eto.

Eto was a bit of a nutcase.

Sounds like a like for like swap in that sense.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

The main difference is that Eto'o's peak was not nearly as long.

Pretty much. Longevity wins it for Zlatan if we're talking about careers. At their respective peaks I'd have Eto'o for sure, before his knee injuries he was outstanding.

 

[Speak]

Eto'o.

 

[villain]

Never rated Eto hes always been abit crap i think

Eto'o been a bit crap, but trust in Januzaj?

To the original question - i'd take prime Eto'o over Zlatan.

 

[129104946]

Eto'o had a better peak but Zlatan the better overall throughout his career.

 

[Randall Flagg]

Never rated Eto hes always been abit crap i think

jesus christ

 

[harms]

Also it's unfair to compare their times at Barca, considering that arguably the best player in history decided that he wants to play centrally after Eto'o was shipped out and Ibra didn't get a fair chance to prove himself

 

[Fortitude]

Well his peak is hard to define because his longevity has been so sustained. He has been in the top 3 centre-forwards/line-leaders since 2008. Others have come and gone, joined him in that group for a year or two (Villa, Torres, Rooney, Van Persie, Aguero, etc), but have either gotten injured or dropped out of form, while he maintains that exceptionally high level.

Obviously Eto'o's Champions League credentials are almost unparalleled amongst no9s in recent years, so it's really about how much weight you want to allocate that against league, cup and international football. While under-delivering in the Champions League knockout stages on the whole, he's performed in plenty of big games over the years. His record for Sweden at times has been single-handed and talismanic, having shone brightly in three different European Championships.

There's not a lot in it because Eto'o brings other qualities into play such as pace, work-rate, mobility and self-sacrifice that compensate for the gap in technique and creativity.

It's not just the CL were Ibrahimovic falls short in comparison to Eto'o, and I'd also refute that 2008 statement as it's only in the last couple years where Ibra has really come to life as a complete player whilst also the #9 bar has dropped that he could be called a top 3 CF.

Zlatan has been so, so far off the pace in the CL that it has to be a major mark against him beings as he has had countless chances to impress upon the tournament at a host of strong clubs. I think NT football can be considered a tie between them.

 

[Cerpin]

Eto'o, at his peak. Simply the more effective and more team-oriented player. I think Zlatan could've been the best striker ever if he just had that bit of tenacity, or work-rate, which can be so very valuable for a team.

 

[Vilev]

Why should fitting into the very specialised Barca machine be the only criteria?

It's not. Eto managed to win CL with Inter. The criteria here is that Zlatan never was an integral part of the team that was top, was even close to winning CL, i don't think he ever played in semi-final. Apart from Barcelona where he could not make it.
So what does it tells us about a player? He left Ajax 12 years ago, in all that time just one semi-final of CL. Just one and with a team where he did not fit in really, the team that won CL before him and funny enough won it again as soon as they shipped him out.
Of course it is way-way easier to be a top guy in a teams like Zlatan's Inter, Juve, Milan, PSG. Bullies at home and almost pushovers in Europe against top guns. If Zlatan would have been really a top player, without any buts or ifs, you would expect that once, even just once he would have led his team at least to the semis of CL, maybe to the final. And Zlatan did play in a championship winning sides, so it's not like he was tasked to lead Spurs to CL win. And we are talking not 3-4 years, but a huge 12 years span. The whole career almost.
For me, that shows his true leadership skills. Below par really, if you don;t consider the hype. He is fine when you need to bully a small team back home (in league), thus winning lots of league titles, but when it comes to deliver in top matches in Europe he stumbles. Like he did last year, this year and any other year for that matter.

I don't recall Eto'o ever inspiring his team like Zlatan at Milan.

You mean Inter or Ac Milan?
AC Milan with him was a bit pathetic, worse Milan side in these years, miles behind real top team that Milan had in the middle of 2000s, of course they are even worse now. As for Inter, well Zlatan never inspired Inter to do anything substantial in Europe, they were always flops and hardly competitive on a big stage, they won Serie A in a very comfortable fashion with big guns out of the way, their rival was Roma as a i remember, the same one that lost 7-1 to United. All you need to know about that Serie A titles really.

 

[El Jefe]

Eto'o and its not even close.

Zlatan is capable of more spectacular moments but if you're a manager and can only pick one it would surely be Eto'o as he's more complete, can play different positions, way better finisher and is actually very useful off the ball unlike Ibra.

 

[DOTA]

Eto'o better in his peak, Zlatan more consistent?

I think that's fair.

Never rated Eto hes always been abit crap i think

Also, this needs quoting again.

 

[charlenefan]

Am I the only one who thought this thread was going to be about whether or not Zlatan will do better in the PL for Jose than Eto'o did?

 

[Bole Top]

Also it's unfair to compare their times at Barca, considering that arguably the best player in history decided that he wants to play centrally after Eto'o was shipped out and Ibra didn't get a fair chance to prove himself

if anything, that goes against Ibra too. Eto'o didn't mind playing on the wing, neither did Henry.

 

[united_99]

In the prime Eto.
Also defended a treble. How cool is this!

 

[Raoul]

Never rated Eto hes always been abit crap i think

Well that backfired a bit didn't it.

 

[UweBein]

Peak I'd say Eto'o by a good distance.
...

This.

 

[Powderfinger]

Eto'o for me. More capable of making it work when he wasn't the focal point. Then ran himself into the ground playing on the wing under Mourinho. Just more of a team player.

Well said.

Eto'o would be great in any team in the world - playing as a CF, as a support striker, or on the wing, playing in a team that dominates the ball or on the counter, etc. And he also always worked his ass off when out of possession. He took no option away from a manager tactically.

Zlatan is an amazing, one-of-a-kind player - more skilled than Eto'o in many ways for sure - but his teams have to be built around him and you will only get the best out of him in dominant sides that have the ball 2/3 of the time and don't need to press that much when out of possession.

 

[berbatrick]

ItYou mean Inter or Ac Milan?
AC Milan with him was a bit pathetic, worse Milan side in these years, miles behind real top team that Milan had in the middle of 2000s, of course they are even worse now. As for Inter, well Zlatan never inspired Inter to do anything substantial in Europe, they were always flops and hardly competitive on a big stage, they won Serie A in a very comfortable fashion with big guns out of the way, their rival was Roma as a i remember, the same one that lost 7-1 to United. All you need to know about that Serie A titles really.

His return to Italy after Barca - at AC Milan. You are right-it was a pathetic team. Yet they came 1st and 2nd in his 2 seasons there with 82 and 80 points, and he scored 56 goals in those 2 seasons. After that their league finishes have been 3-8-10-7 and between 52 and 72 points. It was obvious he was carrying that team in an attacking sense in a way Eto'o never has had to do.

It's worth picking Eto'o if you want a striker to complete a good team, or someone versatile to do a job across the front line. He has done both roles to a very high standard. But if you have inferior support players in attack, pick Zlatan and watch him make something out of nothing.
Not saying one is necessarily better than the other and with Mata and Martial already at the club, I might take prime Eto'o over prime Zlatan for our current needs.

 

[129104946]

Am I the only one who thought this thread was going to be about whether or not Zlatan will do better in the PL for Jose than Eto'o did?

I also thought it was going to be a comparison of Jose bringing in an over the hill striker to achieve league success.

 

[Lay]

Eto'o I actually think in his prime he was never fully appreciated. An unbelievable striker, would miss a sitter more often than he should have but he always seemed to make up for it.

 

[Donaldo]

Eto'o was an absolute beast, and seemed to have a crazily long peak. I've seen Zlatan comparatively lesser, so can't be objective about this.

 

[Vilev]

His return to Italy after Barca - at AC Milan. You are right-it was a pathetic team. Yet they came 1st and 2nd in his 2 seasons there with 82 and 80 points, and he scored 56 goals in those 2 seasons.

His scoring form was only good in second season, in his first one he managed only 21 goals a season, not a stellar performance that. As for strength of this Milan team, in his first year they lost against CL newbies Spurs in the first knock-out round. And barely managed to top Ajax in a group (Real M and Auxerre). In his second season there, 11-12, they won against Arsenal when they were extremely lucky, after a 4-0 win at home, they nearly lost 4-0, but Arsenal managed only 3-0. Zlatan only scored a pen in these games and was generally not so great. Against Barcelona Milan stood no chance. Which only proves my point, that Zlatan is a flat-track bully.

After that their league finishes have been 3-8-10-7 and between 52 and 72 points.

After they sold their captain Silva and Zlatan and have not signed anyone of note. Of course. Hardly surprising that.

It's worth picking Eto'o if you want a striker to complete a good team, or someone versatile to do a job across the front line. He has done both roles to a very high standard. But if you have inferior support players in attack, pick Zlatan and watch him make something out of nothing.

That is absolutely true. But it works only for lesser sides. Zlatan can create a goal out of thin air, but this "magic" simply does not work in top matches, that why he never even came close to winning the CL.
And that one time when he was asked not to be the main man of the second-class team, but be a part of first class one, the one that can really win CL, he could not do it. Exactly because you can't consistently produce "magic" in a bigger games. And without that there is not much he can actually do.

 

[Snow]

Eto'o never carried Cameroon like Zlatan has carried Sweden. In fact he often made too big of a deal playing for them.

Hard to compare the two. Eto'o bloomed late and quite being good early. Zlatan has basically been good since he was a teenage and now still a top player whilst being the same age as Eto'o. Eto'o played in the best team in the world for a good number of years and was excellent in his 2nd season with Inter. Pretty good for Mallorca too.

Eto'o. you don't win international tournaments with characters like Ibra.

Eto'o had multiple issues as well, mostly regarding money. He didn't want to play for Cameroon because he felt they didn't pay enough so they suspended him. He also headbutted a reporter once at a press conference.

 

[Speak]

Eto'o been a bit crap, but trust in Januzaj?

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Nice to see the caf can take a joke

 

[amolbhatia50k]

It's a tough one. Zlatan appears to be the more complete footballer, no doubt. His all around game is something few strikers can compare to. And in terms of an transformational player who affects the team in many aspects, again, it is Zlatan who has the edge, not just over Eto'o but most attackers, let alone strikers. But on the flip side, Eto'o has done it in the big matches, especially the CL, like Zlatan hasn't. I'd just fancy Eto'o to be by goto guy in the big games with his intensity, over Zlatan's slight languid style. The misses in this season' CL match against City, for example, cost PSG big time.

It should be added that Zlatan never was lucky enough to fit in to a "super team" like Eto'o did at Barca. When Zlatan moved there, he was unfortunate with the whole Messi false 9 experiment, and no footballer on the planet was going to be better than Messi in that role. If I'm not mistaken Zlatan's been at clubs like PSG, AC, Inter etc. in his career, and that doesn't quite compare with Barcelona with Ronaldhinio and Messi.

But I'll still go for Eto'o, for his sheer impact on the big stage combined with general quality. If I had to buy a player to have a Cantona type influence it would be Ibra, no doubt, but Eto'o edges it for me. I thought he and Henry were the best strikers of that generation and for a good while he was the very best.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Nice to see the caf can take a joke

Nice attempt to cover up.

 

[Treble]

It's a tough one. Zlatan appears to be the more complete footballer, no doubt. His all around game is something few strikers can compare to. And in terms of an transformational player who affects the team in many aspects, again, it is Zlatan who has the edge, not just over Eto'o but most attackers, let alone strikers. But on the flip side, Eto'o has done it in the big matches, especially the CL, like Zlatan hasn't. I'd just fancy Eto'o to be by goto guy in the big games with his intensity, over Zlatan's slight languid style. The misses in this season' CL match against City, for example, cost PSG big time.

It should be added that Zlatan never was lucky enough to fit in to a "super team" like Eto'o did at Barca. When Zlatan moved there, he was unfortunate with the whole Messi false 9 experiment, and no footballer on the planet was going to be better than Messi in that role. If I'm not mistaken Zlatan's been at clubs like PSG, AC, Inter etc. in his career, and that doesn't quite compare with Barcelona with Ronaldhinio and Messi.

But I'll still go for Eto'o, for his sheer impact on the big stage combined with general quality. If I had to buy a player to have a Cantona type influence it would be Ibra, no doubt, but Eto'o edges it for me. I thought he and Henry were the best strikers of that generation and for a good while he was the very best.

My thoughts as well.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Nice attempt to cover up.

Nah Eto is shite

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Nah Eto is shite

I knew it!

Burn him!