BBC African Footballer of the Year 2011: Expert's view - Eto'o

Eyebrows were raised when Cameroon captain Samuel Eto'o moved from Italian giants Inter Milan to the nouveau riche Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala during the summer.

However, despite the adjustment the indomitable lion has had to make after moving from one end of Europe to another, with vastly different football cultures and lifestyles - albeit cushioned by becoming the highest paid player in the world on a reputed US$28m per season - he has handled the transfer with confidence and remains one of the world's top strikers.

He immediately endeared himself to Anzhi fans by scoring on his debut for the club in August and has continued to find the net, with seven goals in nine games since his arrival and ahead of the Russian Premier League's winter break.

It's also worth recalling what he did during the first six months of 2011 while he was still at the 'Nerazzurri'.

Two thrilling performances, in particular, come readily to mind.

In the last 16 of the Champions League, he was instrumental in Inter overcoming a 1-0 deficit from the first leg in Milan against Bayern Munich.

He scored Inter's opening goal and set up the other two in a 3-2 victory in Germany, to see Inter through on away goals.

In what was to be his last game for Inter on 29 May, Eto'o scored twice in the Italian Cup final to help Inter beat Palermo 3-1.

This brace took his tally for the season to 37, a personal record which bettered anything he achieved in his five seasons at Barcelona.

At the age of 30, and regardless of Cameroon's failure to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations finals, Samuel Eto'o is still at the height of his powers.

He may be now at a mid-table Russian side rather than one of the historically great teams of Europe, but his impressive ability in front of goal hasn't diminished one bit.