In the latest of our series, ahead of the Champions League fixture with Barcelona, we take a look at two strikers.
The strikers in question being Samuel Eto`o and Mark Hughes.
Samuel Eto`o – Mini Fact File
Full Name – Samuel Eto`o Fils
Date of Birth – 10 March 1981
Place of Birth – Douala, Cameroon
Height – Five Feet Eleven Inches
Position – Striker
Youth Career – Kadji Sports Academy, Real Madrid
Clubs – Real Madrid, Leganes (loan), Espanyol (loan), Mallorca (loan), Mallorca, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Anzhi Makhachkala, Chelsea, Everton, Sampdoria, Antalyaspor, Konyaspor
Clubs Managed – Antalyaspor
International Honours – Cameroon U23, Cameroon
Samuel Eto`o joined Barcelona in the summer of 2004 for a transfer fee of ?24 million, with a reputation already established as a prolific goal-scorer. In his first season with the Catalan club he narrowly missed out on being the top-scorer in the Spanish league. However, in his second season he made no mistake and won the coveted ‘Pichichi` trophy given to the top-scorer.
Having helped his club to win the Spanish title in his first season with Barcelona, Eto`o played a prominent part in the club winning the Champions League, in his second season, when, against Arsenal in the Final, it was he who Jens Lehman brought down to earn a penalty for his side with Lehman being sent off, Barcelona went on to win the trophy winning the game 2-1.
In his third season with Barcelona, a bad knee injury kept Eto`o side-lined for several months, as his time with Barcelona continued, Eto`o courted controversy, refusing, in one match to come on as a substitute. In his final season with the club though he helped Barcelona win the treble and scored the first goal in a 2-0 win over Manchester United in the Champions League Final. Eto`o left Barcelona soon after to join Inter Milan.
In August 2013, Eto`o signed for Chelsea, on a one-year deal but for an undisclosed fee. His first goal for Chelsea came against Cardiff City with his first European goal coming against Schalke. In a fixture against Manchester United, Eto`o scored the only hat-trick of his Chelsea career and, in the process, mimicked the old man jest labelled by Mourinho at him.
At the end of the season, with his one-year deal having expired, Eto`o, as a free agent, signed for Everton, as his colourful and distinguished career saw another stopping off point.
Mark Hughes – Mini Fact File
Full Name – Leslie Mark Hughes
Date of Birth – 1 November 1963
Place of Birth – Ruabon, Wrexham, Wales
Height – Five Feet Ten Inches
Position – Forward
Youth Career – Manchester United
Clubs – Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich (loan), Manchester United, Chelsea, Southampton, Everton, Blackburn Rovers
Clubs Managed – Wales, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City
International Honours – Wales
Mark Hughes, having made his reputation at Manchester United, joined Barcelona in the summer of 1986, for a fee of £2 million, signed by Terry Venables, along with Gary Lineker, Hughes lasted just the one season at the Nou Camp, having a disappointing season. The following season saw Barcelona loan Hughes to Bayern Munich. The season after Hughes returned to Manchester United for what was then a club record fee of £1.8 million
In June 1995 Hughes became a Chelsea player when Chelsea paid Manchester United £1 million for his services. Hughes remained at Chelsea for three years and formed a decent partnership with Gianfranco Zola. During his time with Chelsea, Hughes put in some man-of the match performances against Liverpool and Wimbledon in the FA Cup and Vicenza in the European Cup Winners Cup.
That season Chelsea won the FA Cup with Hughes becoming the only player in the 20th century to win the trophy on four occasions. In July 1998 Hughes left Stamford Bridge and joined Southampton.
Stay tuned for the next instalment, where we`ll be taking a look at another couple of forwards who have played for both clubs.
They Played for Both – Barcelona (1)
They Played for Both – Barcelona (2)
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