THE FUSE

In January 2012, a private jet landed in Makhachkala, a city on the Caspian Sea that most Europeans could not have found on a map. Aboard was Samuel Eto'o, four-time African Player of the Year, treble winner with Barcelona, a man who had just signed a contract with Anzhi Makhachkala that made him the highest-paid footballer on earth. The deal was worth approximately €20 million per year after tax, roughly $29 million at the exchange rate of the time. More than Lionel Messi. More than Cristiano Ronaldo. More than anyone else in the history of the sport to that point. He would fly to Makhachkala twice a week for training and matches, then return to his home in either Barcelona or London. He would not live in Russia.