Eto’o Keen To Begin Managerial Career At Mallorca
Samuel Eto’o has indicated he would be interested in starting his managerial career at former side Mallorca.
Eto’o called time on his professional football career last month and set his sights on a career as a manager.
The four-time African footballer of the year has set himself a target of being the first manager of colour to win the UEFA Champions League.
Eto’o announced himself to European football with a loan spell at Mallorca in 2000 which was later turned into a permanent deal, scoring 54 goals in 128 games.
He won the Copa del Rey at the club in the 2002/2003 season before earning a move to Barcelona, where he won three La Liga titles and two UEFA Champions League trophies.
"I reached my top level when at Mallorca," said the Cameroon great, who is Mallorca’s all-time leading goalscorer.
"We were a group of normal guys who had to compete against the great players at Real Madrid and Barcelona.
"But we did it very well, we were proud of defending our jersey and our island.
"At Barcelona it was about opening the eyes of the world, making it known that a kid coming from where I came from, when given the same opportunities as the others, could do well.
"It was tough at Mallorca but when I got to Barcelona I saw that we could not fail, we were a group of unbelievable players and we just had to win."
Eto’o still has links with Mallorca as his son, Etienne, currently plays for the club’s youth side and he is open to the idea of cutting his managerial teeth at the Iberostar Stadium.
"Now I want to prepare for new challenges," Eto'o said.
"I love football, so I would like some day to be able to coach at the highest level. It could be my Mallorca or some other big team.
"I have had the fortune to win things as a player and I would like to do that again as a coach."
