Eto’o Film Shot In Ghana
A Cameroonian-based production company, Acajou Films is putting together a documentary on the life of Barcelona star, Samuel Eto'o Fils.
Shooting of the film, whose message is directed at young talented African footballers who want to be like Eto'o, started in South Africa in 2007 with the first scenes of the documentary showing Eto'o, Pele of Brazil, former South African President Nelson Mandela and other star footballers who met in Cape Town during Mandela's 89th birthday ceremonial soccer match.
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE SPORTS in Kumasi recently, 12-year-old Cameroonian footballer, Mouhamadou Abdoul Sahad, who started playing soccer on the streets at the age of four in Yaounde before joining Tonnerre's youth side two years ago, said he was picked to play the role of young Eto'o in the film.
“In the film which has the title, 'Eto'o', I play a leading role which is meant to explain the aura around Samuel Eto'o Fils, as well as provide a message to African youth who dream of one day emulating Eto'o's path to glory,” he disclosed.
According to Abdoul Sahad, he and other artistes acted part of the film in Kumasi, during the group stages of the just-ended 26th MTN Africa Cup of Nations.
“My role was very symbolic as I could really act like the superstar Eto'o's youth days, with a character just like him. I wish he would recommend me to one of the European clubs later so that I could continue with my soccer career,” he noted.
Abdoul Sahad disclosed that he was not a member of Eto'o's family and that he was chosen by the striker to play that role because of his skills.
He added that he and his mother were being taken care of by Eto'o for the past six months. He said they would be traveling to Barcelona in connection with the next stages of the film.
Samuel Eto'o was born in 1981 in the suburb of Douala,
Cameroon where he started his soccer career. He joined a soccer academy in Douala, and then he was selected by coach Le Roy to play in the 1998 World Cup in France after playing for the junior national teams of Cameroon.
He won his first Africa Cup of Nations with the Indomitable Lions in 2000 when Ghana and Nigeria co-hosted the event. The same year he was a gold medalist in the Olympic games soccer tournament in Australia. Eto'o defended the Nations Cup title successfully in Mali in 2002 and also played in the Japan/Korea World Cup the same year. He was African Footballer of the Year in 2003, 2004 and in 2005, and recently he broke the record for all-time leading scorer for the Cup of Nations.
So far Eto'o has featured for Union Douala club in Cameroon, Real Madrid, Real Mallorca and Barcelona, all of Spain.
By Pierre Toto