Does This Look Like The World's Soon To Be Highest Paid Soccer Player?

I'm not a hater, never have been and never will be. Therefore, when I see a guy making an absurd amount of money to play a sport, I can only tip my hat towards him and say well done sir.

Samuel Eto'o is a fine soccer player. Is he the world's best? Haha not even close but that doesn't matter since some Russian club that I've never heard of-Anzhi Makhachkala-has agreed to a transfer with Inter Milan which will make the Cameroon star the world's highest paid player ($28.8 million per season).

After several days of negotiations, Italian media report Sunday that the two clubs have agreed on a transfer fee of $38.9 million and that the deal will be formalized Monday.

Anzhi is expected to give Eto'o a three-year contract worth $28.8 million per season, surpassing the estimated $17.3 million that Cristiano Ronaldo earns at Real Madrid and the $15.1 million that Lionel Messi is paid by Barcelona.

Anzhi, from the southern Russian province of Dagestan, is owned by billionaire oil tycoon Suleiman Kerimov.

The 30-year-old Eto is considered still in his prime. He has already won three Champions League titles -- two with Barcelona and one with Inter -- and is apparently excited about playing in the developing Russian league.

In Forbes magazine's latest list of the world's richest people, Kerimov's net worth was estimated at $7.8 billion, tying him for 118th place with Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi and family.

Anzhi's captain is 38-year-old Roberto Carlos, once the standout left back for Brazil.

The transfer fee for Eto'o also makes it one of the most expensive deals this season, close to the $42 million Barcelona paid Arsenal on Monday to bring Cesc Fabregas back to his childhood club.

The biggest deal during the current transfer window was the $62 million Manchester City paid Atletico Madrid for Sergio Aguero last month. Also, Paris Saint-Germain paid $60 million to Palermo for Javier Pastore.

Eto'o led Inter with 37 goals in all competitions last season, having replaced Milito as the club's biggest scoring threat. He was a key member of the Inter side that won the Champions League in 2010, often accepting an attacking midfield or defensive role for then-Inter coach Jose Mourinho.

Before joining Inter in 2009, Eto'o played five seasons with Barcelona.

Makhachkala is plagued by violence from insurgency that has spread across the North Caucasus after two separatist wars in Dagestan's neighboring region of Chechnya.

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

People will laugh at this deal (and rightfully so), it is absurd. However, someone has to be the world's highest paid player and if Eto'o wants to figuratively pay the price by playing in some backwater, dangerous area well good for him I guess.

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Eto'o named African player of the year

Fours must have been lucky today for players of the year as Samuel Eto'o picked up his fourth African player of the year award.

The forward for Inter Milan and Cameroon finished ahead of Ghana forward Asamoah Gyan and Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba in votes cast by the coaches of African's 53 national teams.

Eto'o, who also won the award in 2003, 2004 and 2005, helped Inter Milan win an unprecedented treble of Serie A, Italian Cup and Champions League titles last season.
Abedi Pele and George Weah each won the award three times.

Ghana won the team of the year award and Serbian Milovan Rajevac, who quit as Ghana coach's in September, was voted coach of the year.

Ahmed Hassan won the African-based player of the year award after leading Egypt to the African Cup of Nations title.

Cameroon names Clemente as its new head coach

There were few teams at the 2010 World Cup that were a bigger disappointment than Cameroon. The Indomitable Lions lost all three games and today they tried to wipe the slate clean from that debacle by hiring former Spain coach Javier Clemente.

Clemente succeeds Paul Le Guen, who resigned in June. Clemente was Spain's coach from 1992 to 1998 and guided the country on a 31-game unbeaten run. He also coached Serbia's national team.

The Cameroon soccer federation said Clemente agreed to a two-year contract that he will sign in the nation's capital no later than Sept. 28.

Clemente's first test with Cameroon will be to qualify the four-time African champion for the 2012 African Cup of Nations. The country's next international game is a Sept. 4 qualifier in Mauritius.

Former Cameroon players Francois Omam Biyik and Jacques Songo'o will be part of Clemente's coaching staff.

Clemente played for Athletic Bilbao and coached the team to Spanish league titles in 1983 and 1984 -- the first of three stints in charge of the club.

He has been a coach for 15 years and most recently coached Real Valladolid, where he replaced Onesimo Sanchez in April. He was unable in eight games to prevent the team from relegation from Spain's top division.

It was pointed out numerous times in South Africa that African teams are best served when they're coached by a fellow African. Clemente is most certainly an outsider but you can't argue with his coaching credentials. No doubt, his first order of business will be to kiss up to mercurial Cameroon star striker Samuel Eto'o.

Eto'o decides to stop by

After being on a milk carton for the first 45 minutes, Samuel Eto'o beat a couple Japanese defenders along the goal-line then pulled back for teammate Maxim Choupo-Moting, who curled it high and a little wide.

1-0 Japan in the 52nd minute.

Milito is still a loser

Samuel Eto'o's shot in the 17th minute was punched away by Victor Valdes right to Milito but his rebound went so wide it didn't even go over the end line. Sweet.

Eto'o picks up yellow

Samuel Eto'o striker extraordinaire of Inter Milan and Cameroon just received a yellow card in the 12th minute for a tough challenge.

It was a weak call but luckily, he doesn't have another yellow from previous games.

A couple of great goals from the week

Fresh of his spectacular laser shot to send Chelsea packing in the Champions League, Samuel Eto'o had this bicycle goal vs. Livorno the other day in Inters' 3-0 win as an encore.

Ronaldo, the king of the step-overs with the quickest feet I've ever seen, also uncorked two "bamboozlers" yesterday on a free kick and then the step over... Check out the second goal at the 2:45 mark, I just wish I could find Ray Hudson's call of it, it's genius