Samuel Eto'o, Barça-Mallorca connection

This Saturday brings a meeting between Barça and Mallorca at Son Moix (10.00pm CEST) as La Liga returns to action after an enforced lay off due to the coronavirus pandemic and as always happens when these teams meet, one name immediately springs to mind: that of Samuel Eto’o.

The Cameroonian was at the Balearic island club for five years (1999 to 2004), and spent a further half-decade at Camp Nou (2004 to 2009), winning just about every title going and becoming one of Barça’s greatest strikers of all time.

H’s win three leagues, two Champions Leagues and one Copa del Rey, being part of the squad that won all three in 2008/09. In the 2005/06 season he topped the Liga scoring charts with 26 goals.

Eto'o is Mallorca’s all-time highest goalscorer in the first division with 54 goals in 133 appearances, and is eighth in Barça’s own list with 131 goals in 199 games.

His later clubs included Inter Milan and Chelsea, and he also played in Russia, Turkey and Qatar before retiring in September of last year.