SPREAD

Both are genuine goalscorers with bags of skill. Ibrahimovic would be my pick in terms of skill out of the two. He has been at the forefront of Nike adverts in recent years and has often found a way to duplicate those skills on the field. In no way am I saying that Eto'o can't do that, because he has on several occasions at Barcelona but Ibrahimovic does it with a bigger degree of variety.

In terms of speed and raw pace, I would pick Eto'o by a slim margin. Again neither is slow and are both often found drifting out wide and drifting past defenders with consummate ease. Eto'o' s change of pace is more favourable than Ibrahimovic. Agility wise they are almost inseparable again. The elastic legs of Eto'o have got him out of trouble on numerous occasions, running in and out of players and around goalkeepers. Ibrahimovic can do this also. But he can also do it to score. I beg anyone to look at his goal against Bologna last season which won 'Goal of the Year' in Serie A. Even during his early years at Ajax, he was reaching the unreachable.

He also tends to reach the unreachable when it comes to balls in the air. He is a clear 4 inches taller than Samuel and can be a target man for his comrades. This will certainly add a dimension to Barcelona's style next season, where I assume he will be playing the central role of the front 3. 

Goalscoring abilities seem to be very similar again. Samuel Eto'o is the 4th highest goalscorer in La Liga ever and has become so with a style-range of goals. Whilst Ibrahimovic has a similar range, if not bigger, he can often be found going through barron spells, most notably his two year international drought. And whilst Eto'o is only one of two players to have scored in separate Champions League Finals, Ibrahimovic has had the reputation of going missing in 'big' games. 

Mentality no doubt plays a part, and there have been rumours circulating for years that Eto'o has struggled to get along with some of his FCB couterparts and has previously physically lashed out. Ibrahimovic on the other hand has always lead a slightly quieter playing style, often letting his football do the talking. Both have been known to also have chronic joint injuries over the years, with Eto'o being the more affected.