Has Samuel Eto'o cheapened his legacy by solely pursuing money for the last 7 years?

shaky

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What would you rather have when turning 40? A ridiculous bucketload of cash to enjoy the rest of you life, or a slightly improved "legacy"?
 

Cloud7

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I wouldn’t begrudge a player like Asamoah Gyan or Oscar for chasing the money, far more for someone who’s won it all multiple times like Eto’o. This same kind of thing was said about Xavi going to play in Qatar, and the answer remains the same.

It’s a job, they’re well within their rights to go after money as their main objective.
 

JPRouve

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If I'm not mistaken Eto'o is one of the players that take care of a lot of people in his country, people from his family but also through charitable foundations. He also loves good things, so money needs to come in.
 

VorZakone

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I really don't get why in 2018 people are still 'bothered' by players pursuing money.
 

El Zoido

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He has cheapened his legacy slightly, he could have played for top clubs for years. It’s his career though, can’t blame the guy for maximising his earning potential while he can.
 

TsuWave

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dude won back to back CL's

he's one of the best strikers the game has seen.
 

MuFc_1992

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Did Cantona cheapened his legacy by retiring in his 20's? I don't see how Eto playing for shit teams is any different
 

Nico87

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Not remotely, he went go lesser leagues for massive money when he was no longer able to produce at the highest level anymore. The only time players ruin there legacy is when they spend their prime years in leagues well below the standard they can still peform at, like Wistel and Oscar did. I personally wouldn't have taken Wistel to the World Cup once he went to China.
 

RedRonaldo

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It’s good career decision. I mean he has already established his legacy in Barca, and at 29 onwards, there’s no guarantee he can do any better. Truth is footballer career is very short, considering his childhood background and the success he already had, I thought there’s nothing wrong to go for more money instead.
 
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badkins

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I personally wouldn't have taken Wistel to the World Cup once he went to China.
Good you're not a manager then. If the player's good enough, it shouldn't matter who he plays for.
Like if staying in Europe for your all career was some kind of ambitious achievement. It isn't.
 

JK-27

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I don't see why a player, or anyone, should worry about their 'legacy' for the sake of other people. We're all here to live our lives as we see fit, and all of us would take the money so why have a go at him for doing the same?
 

africanspur

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I really don't get why in 2018 people are still 'bothered' by players pursuing money.
Completely agree. Why do people get so bothered by what players do, where they go?

I hate the labelling of players as mercenary. How do most people around the world make their career decisions? On salary and on comfort/ prospects. It is that simple. Footballers are ultimately not that different.

Why do you think these players even move abroad in the first place? Do you think if Cameroon was a great nation that could fulfil Eto's needs, Eto'o would have moved to Europe? Salah? Neymar? Messi? Ronaldo?

Eto'o is one of Africa's all time best players and one of the most iconic and important players in general in football's recent history. He played at the top, won trophies. He now makes shit loads of money, while probably not pushing himself that money and pumping even more money into Cameroon.

I'd say he's probably ridiculously happy with how his career has gone and rightly so.
 

Champ

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The guys won pretty much all he can in the game, played at the highest level he can, now wants to accumulate as much cash as he can whilst still playing the game...
Don't see any cheapening of his legacy because of that really, just sensible forward thinking.
 

Devil81

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Similar to Roy Jones Jnr in boxing, just give it up before you start getting made look a fool out of by younger fitter less talented people.

I broke my leg at 22 years of age playing football (admittedly only a decent Saturday level) I was out for over a year so decided to call it a day. Four years later I decided to join my mates Sunday league team in a standard far lower than the level I'd played previously, anyway three games in I decided to call it a day, the standard was shit, I was shit and the dressing room was full of kids.

Sometimes you just got know when to call it a day.
 

Josep Dowling

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Most players retire between 35-40 years old. They will all be accustomed to a certain lifestyle. The minute they retire their income just stops overnight. I think they can cash in their pension at 35 but still these guys are going from earning say £100k a week to nothing.

What is wrong with trying to earn as much money as you can before you retire? They are unlikely to be able to earn that much again with over half their life to live.

And from a life experience point of view he has lived in some weird and wonderful places whilst getting a large pay packet, surely a win-win.
 

adexkola

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Definitely some snobbery going on in the OP, where football played outside the big 5 leagues is worthless and incapable of contributing to a "legacy". That's the great thing about football, it's universality from the big leagues all the way down to grassroots somewhere in Samoa.
 

whatwha

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His sporting legacy is damaged, yes.

On another note, what is he using all his money for?
 

DBT85

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His sporting legacy is damaged, yes.

On another note, what is he using all his money for?
Schools and hospitals.

The "cnut".

(I still don't understand how cnut is allowed but the actual word isn't)
 

Zlatattack

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It doesn't cheapen a thing. He won everything club football had to offer and then went and made money. It doesn't matter what he spends it on, i respect anyone who works hard.
 

jmaggio

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I never begrudge players like Eto’o or Paulinho for chasing the money.

When you consider some of these guys have come from absolutely nothing and poverty stricken families. I think they probably want to make as much money as they can so future generations of their family don’t have to experience what they did.

On a side note, I saw lukaku getting ripped on his Instagram for posting that flex video of his time in LA. When he has had interviews he talks like an extremely humble guy, however.

I think people should be a little less judgemental in this regard.
 

André Dominguez

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He's still getting contracts with that age and condition, keeps doing what he likes in a less demanding competition environment. Nothing to point, really.
 

Renegade

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Doesn’t tarnish anything. When he finally retires and people look back at his career, they’ll remember his as the Barca & Inter African legend.
 

Liver_bird

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only the Anzhi move was a blatant money grab. He still came to the PL and did an okay job.
 

CechMate1

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Not at all. The guy literally won everything and proved he was one of the best strikers around at the time, it's not like he just suddenly quit trying and failed to reach his potential

4 League titles, 3 Champions League and 2 African Nations plus multiple other trophies. The guy won it all and basically had nothing else to prove

I'll actually always admire him for how he played in that first season at Inter Milan when they won the treble, he was always made out to be somewhat of a trouble maker and at the time he was considered one of the best forwards in the world yet was happy to sacrifice his game and run up and down the wing every game for the benefit of the team. Not many players who was as good as him would have been happy to play out of position like that.
It also shows just how good Mourinho used to be at managing players
 

Canagel

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Does it matter to anyone here? Every player can make his own choices. Etoo won everything he had to win in Europe playing at the highest level.
 

Champagne Football

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Eto'o remained at the top for a long time even if he had an early retirement. 5 years dominating at Barca and 2 years dominating with Inter is 7 great years at the very top. Surely that's a longer time at the top than plenty of legends who were late bloomers but kept playing at the top as long as their bodies could hack it? Jamie Vardy is 31 now and has only been at the top for around 5 years or so
 

Jam

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In the case of Eto'o no. He won everything feasible, has lived in many great cities and his funneled money into health and education in parts of Cameroon which are desperate for such funding. Good bloke, had a good life.

He hasn't wasted any talent for anything, he'll be remembered really fondly for his Barcelona/Inter days by the general public and then by fans of Mallorca for his days there. He also smashed it in Turkey didn't he?
 

keener

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According to a website, his net worth is 95M and salary of 26M. I'd say he's doing something right. I have no problem with this. Get while the gettin is good as we say in the south.
 

Il Prete Rosso

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Why when footballers target the money it's considered wrong? African and South American players especially should try their best to maximize their earnings during their playing times.