Cameroon's Eto'o completes three-year Anzhi deal

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Samuel Eto'o arrives on Moscow on Thursday (pic from FC Anzhi)
Image caption,

Eto'o arrived in Moscow on Thursday after completing his medical and signing a three-year contract - he could make his debut on Saturday

Cameroon star Samuel Eto'o has completed his move from Inter Milan to Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala.

The striker passed a medical on Wednesday night and has joined up with his new team-mates on in Moscow, where the squad are based.

Anzhi will pay Inter Milan 21m euros (£18.4m) and Eto'o will earn 10m euros (£8.7m) per season.

"The project is very interesting, money is not so important for me, that's just part of football," Eto'o said.

"I came from Cameroon to be happy here and make others happy as well."

He is set to make his debut on Saturday when Anzhi play Rostov and will wear the number 99 on his shirt.

Eto'o, who has previously represented Barcelona, Mallorca and Real Madrid, is the most decorated player in African history.

He has been named African Footballer of the Year four times and has won the European Champions League three times.

He has also won the Spanish and Italian leagues, an Olympic gold medal and the Africa Cup of Nations, twice.

Anzhi has only had one full season back in the Russian top flight but has become a major player under an owner who who has poured money into the club.

Suleiman Kerimov is an oil tycoon whose fortune has been estimated at US$7.8 billion.

Despite the dangers in Dagestan, where a low-level Islamic insurgency has made the republic very unstable, Anzhi have already managed to attract players such as Roberto Carlos and Yuri Zhirkov.

Eto'o will join a number of African players at the club inlcuding his compatriot Benoit Angbwa and Morocco's Mbark Boussoufa.

Anzhi players live and train at a training camp outside Moscow for security reasons and travel to Makhachkala for home games, flying about 1,250 miles 15 times a season.

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