Samuel Eto’o honored with a special mural in Mallorca

The Mallorca and Barcelona legend was honored in Spain ahead of the clash between his former clubs.

Mallorca paid homage to Samuel Eto’o before their 1-0 defeat to Barcelona in La Liga on Sunday evening.

The former striker, a legend at both clubs, attended the clash in Palma as a special guest. An hour before kick-off, Mallorca unveiled a mural, about 7 meters wide and almost 10 meters high, in Eto’o’s honor outside of their stadium.

“Mallorca gave me everything I am. It’s incredible to come home and see all this; seems like only yesterday,” Eto’o said at the event.

Taking to Twitter afterward, he added: “What an honour to have my career at memorialised like this. Real Mallorca put me on the map in the early days of my international career and it is still one of my favourite clubs I ever played for.”

What an honour to have my career at @RCD_Mallorca memorialised like this 🔥 Real Mallorca put me on the map in the early days of my international career and it is still one of my favourite clubs I ever played for.

¡Vamos, equipo! pic.twitter.com/orLA4QCPzP

— Samuel Eto'o (@SamuelEtoo) January 2, 2022

The Mallorca and Barcelona presidents, Andy Kohlberg and Joan Laporta, attended the ceremony.

Eto’o, who was recently elected as president of the Cameroonian FA, later got a warm ovation from both Mallorca and Barca fans when he stepped onto the pitch before the game started.

The 40-year-old kick-started his career as a professional footballer at Mallorca, after joining the club from Real Madrid in 2000. He scored 67 goals in 155 games in a four-year spell in Palma.

Barcelona then signed him for €27 million in 2004 and helped put his name on the map in a glorious stint at Camp Nou, resulting in 130 goals in 199 games and eight trophies – including two Champions League titles.