Samuel Eto'o: Why He Won't Last Long in Russia

Samuel Eto’o is now officially a player for Anzhi Makhachkala.

Up until a few weeks ago, Anzhi was hardly noticeable on the map as a top world club.

But the Russian club and its owner, billionaire Suleyman Kerimov, have paid a large sum of money to Inter Milan and given the Cameroonian a contract that will make him the highest paid player in the world.

While Eto’o is getting ready for his new team, he shouldn’t plan on going to find a permanent residence in Makhachkala. The area is not as friendly as Barcelona or Milan are.

Certainly, a three-year deal at 20.5 million euros a season is hard to pass up and nobody can blame Eto’o for accepting this deal.

But Eto’o will soon find out that he will have lots of pressure to dominate right from the beginning.

He also will find out that his supporting cast is nowhere nearly as strong as the group he had with Inter.

Perhaps Eto’o should have spoken with former AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko, who several years ago signed a mega deal with Chelsea, but never enjoyed the same success as he did in Italy.

Having been with Barcelona and Inter, Eto’o has become accustomed to having teammates that are known by fans all over the world.

Now he will join 38-year-old Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos on a team that is hoping to enjoy success by building from the bottom up.

Anzhi has bought a few other quality players, but this is not a club that can contend for the UEFA Champions League title in a few years.

Eto’o may earn a lot more money by playing for Anzhi, but don’t be surprised if you run into him searching for a new home on the coast of Spain, France or Italy, where he figures to retire to when his career ends.