Barcelona legend Samuel Eto'o is being sued by his own 21-year-old daughter

Former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea star Samuel Eto'o is being sued by his own daughter, reports claim.

The ex striker, now currently head of the Cameroon FA, is facing a legal battle in Italy as 21-year-old Annie has accused him of not fulfilling his financial and family support obligations.

Annie was born in Padova, Italy, back in 2002 following an affair with a Sardinian woman called Anna Maria Barranca.

She was recognised as Eto'o's daughter but the four-time African Footballer of the Year has never been a part of her life.

According to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, the university student has filed a complaint with the Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office through Venice lawyer Daniele Vianello.

The complaint dates back to October 13 and comes after the failure of her “last desperate attempt” to “contact her father”.

Image: Getty

Annie is studying full-time in Milan but is not financially independent and relies on her mother, who struggles to make ends meet.

In 2015, Eto’o was required to pay Barranca €10k in child maintenance but it's alleged he did not stick to his word and so the legal battle continues.

This is not the first time Eto'o has been in a situation of this kind. Another daughter, Erika Do Rosario Nieves, accused of him not paying child maintenance in Spain.

She was officially named as his daughter in February 2022 and it was ruled that the 42-year-old must pay €1,400 (£1,167) per month to Erika - with the payment plan backdated to 2018 when the lawsuit started.

Image: Getty

According to Spanish press agency EFE, Eto'o met a woman called Adileusa in a nightclub back in 1997 when he was on loan at Leganes from Real Madrid.

At the time he had been playing for Leganes on loan from Real Madrid.

She fell pregnant in February 1998 but it's said Eto'o stopped returning her calls and messages and a lawsuit launched in 2018 claimed he told her he "preferred that she did not give birth to the child."

Eto'o has been married to wife Georgette since 2007 and the couple have four children together: Maelle, Etienne, Siena and Lynn.

SPORTbible has contacted Eto'o's representatives for comment.

Topics: Barcelona, Samuel Etoo, Everton, Chelsea

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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