Cameroonian goal king, Samuel Eto'o, has hailed former Nigerian defender Taribo West, describing him as one of the best defenders he ever faced in his glittering trophy-laden career.
The former Barcelona forward let the cat out of the bag on Thursday, February 27, while speaking on Brila FM in Lagos on his career and relationship with Nigerian football.
Eto'o, who is in Lagos for Trophy 5-A-Side Developmental Football tournament, said he was in a panic before his first encounter with the Nigerian side during the AFCON 2000 finals because West was an intimidating figure.
The 38-year-old retired footballer described the former Inter Milan man as the engine room of Nigeria's team defence, adding that prior to the AFCON encounter he was left unsettled on how to make his way past the footballer-turned pastor.
"Taribo West was the defender who I feared the most when I first played against him in the final of AFCON 2000, " Eto'o told Brila FM.
Cameroon eventually won the continental tournament, beating Nigeria 4-3 on penalties with Eto'o emerging the second top-scorer in the tourney with four goals.
38-year-old Samuel Eto'o had enviable stints across top European powerhouses before drawing the curtain down on his career.
The Cameroonian made 118 caps for his country and scored 58 goals, winning the African Player of the Year award on four occasions in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010.
Often recognised as one of the most successful stars to ever come out of Africa, Eto'o played for a lot of clubs including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Anzhi Makhachkala, Chelsea, Everton, Sampdoria, Antalyaspor, Konyaspor and Qatar SC.
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