Etoo: Mourinho is a 'fool' for doubting my age
Samuel Eto'o has described Chelsea manager José
Mourinho as a "fool" for questioning his age and vowed
to play on at the highest level for some time to come.
Mourinho, who was also Eto'o's manager at
Internazionale, was caught on camera making
unguarded comments suggesting the Cameroon striker
was older than his official age earlier this season.
The 33-year-old, in line to feature in his fourth World
Cup this summer, responded by celebrating his next
Chelsea goal as if he was a geriatric.
Now Eto'o, who is out of contract this summer after
scoring 12 Chelsea goals, plans to continue to ply his
trade in one of Europe's top leagues.
Eto'o told africanfootball.com: "Thanks for informing me
that it will be my last World Cup. Today, I am 33 years
old. And it is not because a fool called me an old man
that you must believe it.
"And you may have noticed that the old man was better
than the youngsters. Some believe I am going to retire
in the United States or in the Middle East, but I have
regained the joy of the Champions League and I am
going to carry on playing in the Champions League.
Where? I am not going to tell you.
"But I am going to carry on playing because physically
and mentally I feel great. So I am going to go to this
World Cup and to the next one when I will be 37. Some
did it at 42, so I can still play in two more World Cups."
Following Chelsea's final game of the season at Cardiff,
Mourinho suggested Eto'o would depart this summer, at
the end of his one-year deal.
The Chelsea manager will wait until pre-season before
determining the future of his loan stars. Mourinho
presented his end-of-season report to the Chelsea
hierarchy on Monday, detailing his thoughts on all
matters relating to the first-team squad. Definitive
decisions on goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, striker Romelu
Lukaku and the others who spent time away from
Chelsea this season will wait until after training resumes
on 8 July. Courtois has impressed in his third
consecutive season on loan at Atlético Madrid, helping
the Spaniards to the May 24 Champions League final at
the expense of his parent club, and could put pressure
on Petr Cech as Chelsea number one.
Lukaku spent a second straight season on loan in the
Premier League, scoring 17 goals for Everton - a tally
greater than any of the strikers who remained at
Stamford Bridge.
Others will also be looked at closely by Mourinho,
including Victor Moses, who spent the season at
Liverpool, and Marko Marin, who helped Sevilla to win
the Europa League.
After Chelsea's final home game of the season,
Mourinho insisted there was no rush to make decisions
relating to his squad.
Tellingly, though, captain John Terry signed a one-year
contract extension 24 hours after Mourinho's report
was submitted.
The fates of record goalscorer Frank Lampard and left-
back Ashley Cole are still to be clarified, with their
contracts expiring imminently.
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