African Legends Cup of Nations: Eto’o vs Milla

The African Legends Cup of Nations Round of 16 kicks off on Tuesday with a Cameroon derby between Roger Milla and Samuel Eto’o.

Milla downed South Africa’s Ace Ntsoelengoe in the First Round to advance, while Eto’o kicked off the tournament with a convincing victory over Algeria’s Rabah Madjer.

However, the Cameroon great—once nicknamed ‘The New Milla’—must advance past his hero, and one of Africa’s first ever globally recognized players, to progress to the quarter-finals.

Both of these two are two-time African Cup of Nations champions, with Eto’o having won the title in 2000 and 2002, while Milla was a champion with Cameroon in 1984 and 1986.

The elder striker was one of the Indomitable Lions’ stars of the 1980s, and twice made the competition’s Team of the Tournament.

Eto’o was twice the competition’s top scorer, and also made the Team of the Tournament, and, unlike Milla, he also won gold at the Olympics, clinching the prize with the Lions in 2000 as part of an awesome team.

Their World Cup fortunes contrasted, however, as while Eto’o crashed out in the first round in all four of his appearances at the tournament, Milla was the hero of Cameroon’s run to the quarter-finals in 1990—breaking new ground for Africa.

At that tournament he became the competition’s oldest ever goalscorer, a record he broke four years later in the United States.

Despite all that he achieved, however, Milla cannot compete with Eto’o’s goalscoring record for Cameroon, as the striker remains the Lions’ all-time top scorer, and the highest goalscorer ever in the Afcon.

Eto’o: 24/25 Milla: 18