Rigobert Song

Football player infobox
playername = Rigobert Song


fullname = Rigobert Song Bahanag
height = height|m=1.83
weight = 76 kg
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1976|7|1
cityofbirth = Nkanglikock
countryofbirth = Cameroon
currentclub = Trabzonspor
clubnumber = 4
position = Defender
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1993–1994 1994–1997 1997–1998 1998–2000 2000–2002 2001–2002 2002–2004 2004–2008
2008–
clubs = Tonnerre Yaoundé FC Metz Salernitana Liverpool West Ham United → 1. FC Köln (loan) RC Lens Galatasaray
Trabzonspor
caps(goals) = 000 (0) 123 (3) 004 (1) 033 (0) 024 (0) 016 (0) 063 (3) 108 (4)
003 (0)
nationalyears = 1993–
nationalteam = Cameroon
nationalcaps(goals) = 122 (5)
pcupdate = 9 June, 2008
ntupdate = 3 August, 2008

Rigobert Song Bahanag (born July 1, 1976) is a Cameroonian football central defender who currently plays for Trabzonspor.

Club career

Prior to joining Trabzonspor in 2008, Song played for Metz, Salernitana, Liverpool, West Ham, Cologne, RC Lens and Galatasaray.

Became an instant fan favorite after his transfer to Galatasaray and formed a strong defensive partnership with Stjepan Tomas at the heart of the defense.

During the 2006–07 season, he struggled to find a place in the team after an argument with then Galatasaray manager Eric Gerets during a league game. Although Song apologized for the incident both publicly and privately, Gerets did not take a back step and the player remained punished. With the arrival of new coach Karl-Heinz Feldkamp, Song once again become a vital member of the squad. But in the following years he lost his enthusiasm to play for Galatasaray and became transferred to Trabzonspor which spent considerable amounts of money in order to build a new team at the beginning of 2008-2009 season.

International career

A key player for Cameroon for over a decade, Song played in the 1994, 1998, and 2002 World Cups. He is their most capped player ever.

Apart from Zinedine Zidane, Song is the only player to have been sent off in two different World Cups, against Brazil in 1994 and Chile in 1998. He also holds the record as youngest player ever to be sent off in a World Cup, aged 17.

In the 2006 African Cup of Nations, Rigobert became the most capped player in Cameroon history. Also, in the same competition, Song broke the record for the greatest number of matches played at the CAF African Cup of Nations. [http://www.fifa.com/en/news/feature/0,1451,114014,00.html]

Personal life

Song's father, Paul Song, died when Rigobert was young. As such, he never really knew his father but nevertheless dedicates all his success to him, as his absence was a strong motivational force for him.

Rigobert Song is married to Esther, and has three children (a son and two daughters): Ronny, his oldest child; Yohanna Bernadette, his first daughter was born on September 22 2002 and his second daughter, Hillary Veronique Liliane, was born on September 13 2004.

In the Morning of June 15 2008, Song was accused for assaulting an Air hostess in Dar es Salaam International Airport a day after Cameroon were held to a goalless draw by minnows Tanzania in World Cup qualifier encounter. Plane Pilot boycotted to take off the flight until a Cameroonian official appologised.

His nephew Alexandre Song is a defender for English Premier League side Arsenal FC.

Honours

* Cameroon
** Africa Cup of Nations: 2 (2000, 2002)
*** Runners-up: 1 (2008)

* Galatasaray
** Turkish League: 2 (2005-06, 2007-08)
** Fortis Turkey Cup: 1 (2004-05)

* Metz
** French League Cup: 1 (1996)