Samuel Eto’o has joined Qatar SC on a free transfer.
The former Barcelona and Inter forward was released by Konyaspor at the end of last season and the Qatar Stars League outfit has now become the 13th club of his decorated career. Qatar SC announced the signing on their official Twitter page and Eto’o will be presented on Tuesday, although contract details were not disclosed.
Last week, the 37-year-old told Radio France he was in discussions with “certain French clubs”.
The 37-year-old, who has also played for the likes of Inter Milan and Chelsea, ended a three-year stint in Turkey last season, during which he played for Antalyaspor and Konyaspor.
With a career spanning more than two decades, the former Cameroon international believes he still has lots to offer, despite no longer having the physical powers he once possessed.
“I know how to score goals, that is what I have done all my life, and that is what I will continue doing,” he added.
“It is more difficult for defenders because there comes a time when you do not have the pace you had, but even if I am not as fast as I was when I was 20, I am still quick, and I make up for the rest with experience.”
Eto’o is a fast, strong, and energetic forward, who is known for his stamina, work-rate, ability in the air, and his accurate finishing ability both with his head and feet. A powerful and prolific goalscorer with good technique, composure in front of goal, and an ability to play off other forwards, Eto’o is primarily deployed as a central striker, although during his time at Inter, under José Mourinho, he demonstrated notable tactical intelligence and versatility by playing in several other positions on the pitch.
During Inter’s 2009–10 treble-winning season, Eto’o played an important role in the squad, and was utilised as a winger or even as an attacking midfielder in Mourinho’s 4–2–3–1 formation, where he was primarily required to help his team creatively and defensively with his work-rate off the ball.
During the return leg of the Champions League semi-final match against Barcelona, Eto’o demonstrated his workrate and versatility by playing as an attacking full-back following Thiago Motta’s controversial sending-off. Eto’o has also been renowned for his leadership, opportunism and mentality throughout his career.
In his prime, Eto’o was regarded by pundits as one of the best strikers in the world; he is currently regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time. Despite losing some of his speed with age, he continued to maintain a consistent goalscoring rate as a striker, due to his ability to get into good positions and time his attacking runs, as shown by his goal in a 6–3 loss against Chelsea on 30 August 2014, during his time with Everton. Despite his advancing age, Eto’o has maintained his dribbling skills in his later career, which he uses to his advantage to beat defenders and assist teammates