Alex Song
_(cropped)_-_Song.jpg)
Song playing for Rubin in 2016
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexandre Dimitri Song Billong | ||
| Date of birth | 9 September 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Douala, Cameroon | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
|
Current team
|
Rubin Kazan | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2004 | Bastia | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2006 | Bastia | 32 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | → Arsenal (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2006–2012 | Arsenal | 138 | (7) |
| 2007 | → Charlton Athletic (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2012–2016 | Barcelona | 39 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | → West Ham United (loan) | 28 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | → West Ham United (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2016– | Rubin Kazan | 12 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2002–2003 | France U16 | 6 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Cameroon U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2008 | Cameroon U23 | 3 | (0) |
| 2005–2014 | Cameroon | 49 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 April 2017. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12:58, 20 August 2015 (UTC) |
|||
Alexandre Dimitri Song Billong (born 9 September 1987), better known as Alex Song, is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays for Rubin Kazan. He plays as a central or defensive midfielder, and can also play as a central defender.
Originally a utility player on the fringes of the first team, Song quickly became an integral part of Arsenal's starting 11 during the 2008–09 pre-season, eventually leading to a €15 million transfer to Barcelona in 2012.
Song played for the Cameroon national team in the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups. He was called up for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations and was the only Cameroonian named in the Team of the Tournament. Song also possesses a French passport. He is the nephew of former footballer Rigobert Song.
Song was born in Douala, Cameroon, and lost his father at the age of three. Since then, his uncle Rigobert Song has been like a second father and was a major influence in choosing football as a career. Unable to find a club or academy where he could hone his skills, Petit Song (as he is known in the Cameroon side) opted to move to France, joining Bastia at age 16. One of the players who inspired Song the most when he was young was Michael Essien.
In 2011, Song became an ambassador for Grassroot Soccer, an international non-profit organisation working through football to stop the spread of HIV.
Song joined the Bastia youth team in 2003–04 and became a part of the first team the following season with 31 appearances. Bastia were playing in Ligue 1 during the time Song had a stint there. Song was noted for his high versatility
...
Wikipedia