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‘I want to be better than my father’ – Etienne Eto’o affirms after goalscoring debut for Cameroon U20
The 18-year-old is keen to surpass his father's achievements after heralding his presence at the U20 Afcon with two goals on Saturday
Samuel Eto’o son, Etienne, said he is aiming to do better than his father after scoring a brace in his debut outing for Cameroon U20 at the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in Mauritania.
The Real Oviedo striker was handed a rare start on Saturday against Mozambique, and he ensured the young Lions finished their group outings with an unblemished record of three wins.
Etienne scored a stunning free-kick eight minutes into the encounter and he later doubled Cameroon’s lead just before half-time as they bagged a 4-1 victory.
Following his memorable outing at the Stade Cheikha Boidiya, the 18-year-old disclosed his readiness to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a great player.
Samuel Eto’o is Cameroon’s all-time top scorer with a record of 56 goals and he also holds the record for winning the African Footballer of the Year award four times alongside Yaya Toure.
“There is always pressure in life whether or not you are the son of a famous person. But for me, I just try to enjoy my career and demonstrate to people that I can do it,” Etienne told Caf media.
“My dad has played a huge influence in my life because I have always admired him and want to learn from him and continue in his steps. Always I want to be someone as him.
“I want to try and be better than him and I am always looking forward to stepping on the pitch and giving my best. Even though I know it is difficult to be better than my father, I want to work hard to achieve like him. He is always there to support me and give me advice.
“I think sometimes it is natural that your father influences what you want to be in future. It is just the same like for example when your father is a policeman, you might be interested in becoming a policeman too. My father has played a huge role in my life and influenced me to take football as a career.
“For me, it doesn’t feel strange and it is nothing special really. I just have to enjoy who my dad is but also keep working hard for myself.”
