One of the finest African footballers of all time, striker Samuel Eto’o started his senior career at Real Madrid, although he spent much of his three-year spell with the club away on loan. Mallorca, who initially took him on a temporary basis in 2000, made the move permanent later that year.

Eto’o developed into a highly promising player in La Liga with Mallorca, establishing himself as a dependable goalscorer and catching the attention of Real Madrid’s biggest rivals. In 2004, the Cameroonian joined Barcelona, spending the following five years at the club and developing into one of the world’s leading strikers.

During his time with Barca, Eto’o collected three La Liga titles and lifted the Champions League trophy twice. Barcelona completed a European treble in 2008/09, and Eto’o would achieve the same feat in the following campaign after joining Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan.

Eto’o moved to Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala in 2011 before making his first switch to the Premier League two years later. He spent one season at Chelsea before joining Everton when his contract expired, leaving the Toffees and English football in 2015. During the final four years of his playing career, Eto’o represented Sampdoria, Antalyaspor, Konyaspor and Qatar SC before retiring in 2019.

The former striker has continued to remain involved in football and Eto’o has offered plenty of his views, including in 2021 when, as reported by AS via Squawka, he revealed which player he believed could challenge Lionel Messi’s Ballon d’Or record.

Eto’o Predicted Bright Future For Real Madrid Ace

In 2021, Kylian Mbappe was in his fourth season with Paris Saint-Germain, having arrived from Monaco and been tasked, alongside stars such as Lionel Messi and Neymar, with helping the club win the Champions League. Although only 23 at the time, Mbappe had already won the World Cup and established himself among the finest players in his position.

Mbappe remained with PSG for another three seasons, failing to win either the Ballon d’Or or the Champions League before leaving for Real Madrid in 2024. The Parisians, in their first campaign without the French forward, secured their first Champions League title, while Mbappe did not win a major trophy during his debut season in Madrid despite producing strong individual performances.

Real Madrid are not accustomed to going without silverware, but PSG have since gone back-to-back in Europe while Mbappe is still waiting for a major trophy in Spain. Mbappe could still make a push for the Ballon d’Or, although surpassing Messi’s record of eight victories would require an extraordinary level of achievement.

(All stats are from Transfermarkt and are correct as of 13-08-26)

Irish superstar Conor McGregor wasted no time in laying out a game plan for success for his fellow Irishman, Ian Machado Garry, ahead of his welterweight title showdown with Islam Makhachev at UFC 330 on Saturday night.

The Notorious is no stranger to UFC gold, having won titles in two weight divisions. Few other fighters can boast that achievement, but current welterweight champion Makhachev is one of them, having previously held the UFC Lightweight Championship.

Having won his last 16 straight fights, Makhachev is understandably a heavy favourite for the contest. Garry lost to fellow top contender Shavkat Rakhmonov in December 2024, but still holds a 10-1 record inside the Octagon.

Conor McGregor’s Message to Ian Garry Ahead of UFC 330

Mark J. Rebilas via Imagn Images

McGregor and Garry have had a strained relationship at times over the years, with Ian previously being linked as a potential opponent for Conor prior to his injury-based loss to Max Holloway at UFC 329 last month.

Despite their past differences, McGregor unleashed a burst of trademark Irish encouragement after Makhachev and Garry went face-to-face for the first time on fight week for the first time in front of the Rocky Statue in Philadelphia.

Responding to a video of the face-off, McGregor jumped to social media with a line that caught fire: “Come on Garry, target that big mallet!” referring to Garry aiming straight for Makhachev’s head.

Why Conor McGregor is Supporting Ian Garry at UFC 330?

Screenshot: UFC Instagram

Conor knows plenty about winning UFC championships in devastating fashion after claiming both of his world titles via early stoppages. However, his interest in the bout runs deeper than national pride; as the first two-division champion in UFC history and a central figure in the long-running feud between Ireland and Dagestan, he knows exactly what this fight represents.

In the most famous meeting between fighters from the two countries, Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated McGregor at UFC 229 in the most-watched UFC event ever, drawing an estimated 2.4 million pay-per-view buys in the United States and over four million people watching the live broadcast in Russia during the pay-per-view era of the UFC.

Now the spotlight shifts to Garry, who steps into UFC 330 not just as the obvious title challenger, after defeating Carlos Prates on short notice in Kansas City, and former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad in Qatar last November, but as Ireland’s newest hope of finally breaking Dagestan’s streak. His opponent, Makhachev, is Khabib’s protégé.

McGregor’s response to the clip wasn’t just advice; it was a symbolic passing of the torch. He’s urging Garry to bring the aggression, embrace the moment, and swing boldly at a champion who represents the same region that once handed McGregor his most painful defeat.