Back in 2004, Barcelona signed Samuel Eto'o from Mallorca for €24m after lengthy negotiations which also included Real Madrid, who owned the player. President Joan Laporta explained during the presentation why the talks were a cause of pride for the club.
"There's been a cordial atmosphere throughout the negotiations [between Barca, Mallorca and Real Madrid]. I thank board member Xavier Faus for his efforts in reviving the talks when they seemed to have broken down.
"The way the negotiations have gone is a cause for pride for the club. There’ve been a number of stages in the deal and I know that the signing's really excited the fans, which is good news."
For his part, here's how Eto'o himself reacted to the transfer.
"I'd like to thank God - I think I'm here because He wanted it to happen. I also want to thank the president and the board for all their efforts to get me here, as well as a man who I've maybe had a few fights with these last few months, but who’s made me the player I am today - Mateu Alemany.
"I can’t promise 50 goals a season, but I can tell you I'll work hard. I wouldn’t have gone to Real Madrid even if they'd paid me 1000 million."
Eto'o ended up staying for five seasons at Barcelona during which he scored 130 goals across 199 games. He helped the club win eight trophies, including two Champions League titles. By the way, the Cameroonian scored in both CL finals.
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How Samuel Eto'o reacted to joining Barca after negotiations that were 'cause for pride' for Barca
The Barca captain has contributed 954 of the 9108 goals scored in Barca history.
Luis Suarez and Samuel Eto'o have also contributed some, but they're nowhere near Messi.
Other notable mentions you may know are Brazilians Rivaldo and Neymar. Again, their percentage is a pinch of salt compared to Messi.
Have a look at the percentage of Barca goals in history contributed by some of the most popular Barca scorers.
- Messi - 954 goals contributed - 10.4%.
- Luis Suarez - 307 goals contributed - 3.3%.
- Neymar - 181 goals contributed - 1.9%.
- Samuel Eto'o - 170 goals contributed - 1.8%.
- Rivaldo - 170 goals contributed - 1.8%.
NB: Goals contributed includes goals and assists for the club.
'It'll be an odd feeling': How Xavi reacted to Guardiola letting Eto'o go
"It'll be an odd feeling [to see Samuel Eto'o leave] after Eto'o spent so much time playing with us here," Xavi told Reuters back in 2009.
"It was a personal decision of the coach [Guardiola] and we can't comment on it. He made it clear that it was his idea, his feeling, and that he wanted a change, nothing else. I'll give Eto'o a hug and wish him all the best but only after the game," Xavi added.
Despite the treble-winning campaign of 2008/09, Samuel Eto'o found it difficult to get on with the new manager which supposedly was a mutual feeling. Eventually, Eto'o was forced to leave for Inter mostly because of the tensed relationships with Pep.
