The press does have a habit of stirring things up and it was certainly the case when Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had made a light-hearted ‘off-the-record’ remark about striker Samuel Eto’o, which surprisingly dominated headlines.
Mourinho was caught on camera saying, “The problem with Chelsea is I lack a striker. I have one [Eto’o] but he’s 32. Maybe 35, who knows?”
The comments were made public, and it did not please Mourinho one bit and such a revelation was believed to have angered Eto’o as well.
Speaking ahead of his side’s clash against Galatasaray in the Champions League, Mourinho slammed the media by labeling them an ‘embarrassment’ for their unethical behavior.
He said, “I think you should be embarrassed as media professionals because, by the ethical point of view, I don’t think you are happy your colleague is able to record a private conversation and make it public.”
The ridiculous Samuel Eto’o age saga then took another turn after the striker’s ex-girlfriend, Anna Barranca, claimed that the he was actually 39-years old.
Talking to the Sun, Barranca said, “It is very evident Samuel was older than the age he said he was when he first came to Europe. I think Samuel is not 35 he is more 39. Samuel was born in 1974 and so that makes him 39 now.”
However, Eto’o has laughed-off the furor surrounding his actual date of birth and stated that if he can keep on scoring then he does not mind his age being questioned.
Speaking after Chelsea 1-1 draw against Galatasaray last night, the striker said, “I am Samuel Eto’o, what can I say? If at 36 and 37 I can score three goals at Manchester United it means that I still have some juice and I can even score until I am 50.
“But I really don’t care, what is really important to me is to give my maximum to the team, to help them to win some titles.”
