Samuel Eto’o is not in Russia for the money, insisting in an interview with CNN published Wednesday that he joined minnows Anzhi Makhachkala to mould them into a top European club.
The 30-year-old Cameroonian astonished the football world in the summer by leaving Italian giants Inter Milan while still in his prime to sign with the small-time outfit from Dagestan. He garnered criticism from many quarters for accepting a reported 20 million euro-per-year deal that makes him the sport’s highest earner globally.
But Eto’o said that wasn’t why he was here.
“I don’t care what people think. I think all of us want to work and get paid what we are worth,” Eto’o said. “Anzhi made an offer at the level of my talent, and are paying me what they think I am worth.”
“People will always have their opinion, but no-one wants to work for less money, otherwise they would be living on the streets.”
A three-time Champions League winner who has scored 469 career goals for Inter, Barcelona and Mallorca, Eto’o said Anzhi’s billionaire owner Suleiman Kerimov wanted him at the helm of the club’s transformation into European challengers of similar stature.
“He told me he wanted to build and big team that they thought I could be the centerpiece. That touched my heart. They offered me a great deal and we reached an agreement quite quickly.”
Eto’o also indicated that his transfer to the Russian Premier League wasn’t a one-off, and that “players now actually think about coming over here to play. … Very important players whom we all talk about.”
When he joined in August, Eto’o was the brightest in a slew of star signings that included Brazilian World Cup winner Roberto Carlos, now the assistant player manager. Media reports have linked dozens of top names with the club since, and not without reason, Eto’o said.
“Practically every day I get a message or a phone call from a high-profile player asking whether there are opportunities to come here because the truth is – the future of football is in Russia.”
Eto’o has scored four goals in his seven appearances so far for the club, including the opener in a 5-3 home drubbing by CSKA Moscow that left the club hovering uneasily in eighth position in the Russian Premier League.
When he bought the club in January, Kerimov set a target of a top-eight finish in the regular season.
