José Mourinho was clear when, in 2019, he said “Samuel Eto’o deserved a Ballon d’Or”
José Mourinho was clear when, in 2019, he said “Samuel Eto’o deserved a Ballon d’Or”.
If ever there was a year he deserved it most, it has got to be 2006 when he won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, scoring in the final and winning the Man of the Match award. That season still, he won the ‘Pichichi’ award for top scorer in the Spanish top-flight with 26 goals. He equally finished 3rd top scorer in the Champions League, with just 3 goals short of the 1st, Shevchenko.
Cameroon may have missed out on the 2006 World Cup, and exited the AFCON in the quarterfinals yet Eto’o had something to show for at international level. He finished top scorer of AFCON 2006 with 5 goals.
The Ballon d’Or is largely an individual award of excellence and it is hard to argue that there is more he could do to merit it in 2006.
If missing out on the coveted individual award was surprising, his 6th position in the final ranking was maddening. Even more farcical was the winner, Fabio Cannavaro, whose club, Juventus, got sanctioned for match-fixing that same season! Yes, Cannavaro led the Azzuri (Italy) to World Cup glory, but following that logic would mean a Spanish player deserved the Ballon d’Or in 2010 instead of Messi; likewise German deserved it in 2014 instead of Ronaldo.
It will stun many to know Eto’o never made it into the top 5 of Ballon d’Or ranking throughout his glittering career. This leaves us to wonder what the the criteria for selection is.
He deserved the Ballon d’Or, or at least better rankings than he got.
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