Retired footballer Samuel Eto'o faces fresh legal action after being declared the biological father of a 22-year-old woman in Madrid.
The former striker has never acknowledged that he is the dad of Erika Do Rosario Nieves and did not attend the court proceedings, which came to a conclusion in February, to prove this as fact.
The young woman's mother, Adileusa, began the lawsuit in 2018 by providing biological evidence that supported her testimony that Erika was the daughter of the former striker, with Eto'o subsequently being named as the legal father.
The court ruled this year that Eto'o now must pay an allowance to the young woman totalling €1,400 per month and dated back to the moment that the lawsuit was filed, yet the mother has now given an interview in La Vanguardia to allege that the former player has yet to give any money.
Adileusa 'Dee Dee' do Rosario, originally from the Cape Verde Islands, explained: "It's all for my daughter, to whom he has never given anything. He has not given the girl anything since the day she was born. Absolutely nothing, not even with a judicial decision. She has grown up without her father and she feels so sorry because she hasn't even given her the chance to meet him."
Adileusa is said to have met Eto'o at a nightclub in Madrid in 1997 – when the Cameroonian was playing for Leganes, who were based near the Spanish capital. Eto'o spent the 1997/98 season on loan at Leganes from Real Madrid – netting four goals in 30 appearances – before briefly breaking into the first-team squad of Los Blancos.
The lawsuit, filed in 2018, claimed that Eto'o "told her that he would act responsibly with respect to the common child, although he preferred that she did not give birth to the child."
The case continued: "During the pregnancy she tried to communicate with the future father (Eto'o), but he did not answer her phone calls or reply to her emails."
Eto'o is alleged to have broken off all communication with the mother, who gave birth to Erika in the Alarcon Foundation hospital in Madrid in 1999.
Mother Adileusa added: "Samuel broke up with me as soon as I told him. Even so, I showed up at a training session where I knew he was so that I could meet her. She was 15 days old. He took me aside and he promised me that he would take care of her. But I never heard from him again."
By that stage, Eto'o was playing in Catalonia for La Liga club Espanyol – whom he had joined on a loan deal from Real Madrid.
When Erika was aged three, she needed to undergo a kidney operation and Adileusa claims she attempted to reach out to the footballer to help with the situation.
Adileusa continued: "Doctors needed to know the medical history of the parents, to find out if there is a history. She was three and a half years old.
"I contacted a mutual friend and he replied that he (Eto'o) preferred not to intervene. 'Look, Dee Dee, already I've told him and the last time he replied 'for me it as if the mother and the girl are dead, leave me alone'. I was absolutely devastated."
Eto'o is said not to have engaged with the court at any point during the original court proceedings and was not present during the decision.
Eto'o went on to have a hugely successful career and is widely recognised as one of the greatest African footballers of all time.
He scored 70 goals across four seasons at Real Mallorca before starring at Barcelona between 2004 and 2009 – netting 130 goals in 199 appearances, winning two Champions League titles in the process.
Eto'o won another Champions League title at Inter Milan – with whom he bagged 53 goals in two seasons – before three seasons at Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala.
He went on to have spells with Chelsea, Everton, Sampdoria, Antalyaspor and Konyaspor, before finishing his career with Qatar SC in 2019.
Eto'o also scored 56 goals in 118 international caps for Cameroon – with whom he won two Africa Cup of Nations titles and an Olympic gold medal.
