Alexandre Song's Profile

Name: Alexandre Song Billong
Place of birth: Douala, Cameroon
Date of birth: September 9 1987
Position: Defender [can also play in midfield]
Weight: 75 kg
Height: 1.83 m

Blood

Football runs in the Song bloodline. When Alexandre was seven years old he would have been watching his uncle, Rigobert, represent their nation in 1994 on the greatest stage of them all – the World Cup. With every passing year, Rigobert would collect more caps and, with 119 appearances, he is now Cameroon’s most capped player. Rigobert also holds the record as the youngest footballer to ever be sent off in a World Cup, aged 17. What attributes did Rigobert, of former Liverpool and West Ham United fame, pass down to nephew Alex? For starters they are both defensively sound, good in the tackle, and display a responsible attitude to work-rate. Yet Rigobert’s fiery temper, together with his almost magnetic attraction to the referee’s cards, seems to have skipped a generation, as this is nowhere to be found in young Alexandre. Despite only being restricted to a run of three games in the Carling Cup, two matches in the Champions League, and then five starts and four substitute appearances in the Premier League, Alex, during the 2007-2008 season, never received a single cautionary booking. Speaking to Arsenal TV Online, Alex spoke of the influence his uncle is to him: “We call each other every couple of days really, I’m lucky to have someone next to me with all the experience that he has. He guides me a lot and offers advice on where I can improve… He is my idol really so if I only achieve a quarter of what he’s done then I shall be very happy.”

Bastia

Song joined Bastia in the 2003-2004 season where he impressed for a year with the B-team. The following season he was promoted to the full team where he featured over 30 times. This brief spell with the Corsican club, at a supposed raw age, attracted the attention of English clubs Middlesbrough and Manchester United; French giants Lyon; and Italian heavyweights Internazionale. Song played mostly as centre-back with the occasional outing in the left-back position. This versatility would eventually work in his favour when on trial with Arsenal. Arsene Wenger spotted Song during one of his meticulous scouting missions headed by former double-winning defender and now praised-scout Gilles Grimandi. Song, as a trialist, joined Arsenal in Austria for pre-season training in 2005. Impressed with what he saw in training, Wenger decided to take the then 17-year old on loan for a year, with the option to buy. A year later Bastia accepted a £1million transfer and Song signed a four-year contract with the North London club. On his time with Bastia, Song said: “I was lucky because the coach I had there was the same I had during my time with the youth team. He went on to take control of the first team so he knew my game well and put a lot of faith in me. I was granted chances and took them, I gave everything I could give and the season was very positive. Unfortunately, not so much for the club because we were relegated.”

Up And Gunner

During his initial trial, Wenger experimented with Alexandre in friendlies against Weiz, Ritzing, and FC Utrecht. He suitably impressed the youth-driven Arsenal boss and while on his loan-season at N5, Alex quickly found himself thrown into the Highbury spotlights. Once the deal was complete, Wenger publicly declared his satisfaction with the coup: “He is only 17 but from what I have seen he is a very good player.” He made his Premier League debut on September 19th 2005, after Arsenal had already secured a two-nil victory against Everton. “To make my debut against Everton… only for five minutes, was great. It was a dream for me to play for Arsenal and this day will forever be engraved in my mind.” The youngster went on to feature in the red and white shirt in a fair amount of games in his debut season. He looked nervous, and out of his depth, and it was perhaps this form, coupled with this sense of self-doubt, that led many Arsenal fans to question his ability and may have even contributed to the decision that saw him move to Charlton Athletic for a short loan spell a year or so later. Before his mid-season deadline-day move to the Addicks, Song managed to score his first goal for Arsenal, coming against the entertaining six-three triumph over Liverpool, scoring a clipped shot from set-play.

Addick

Despite fans reservations about the talent at Song’s feet, Alan Pardew showed enough faith in his ability to sign him on the last day of the January transfer window, to help the Charlton club avoid relegation. The Cameroonian endeared himself to The Valley faithful for his animalistic displays. Song often saw pitch-time, and he even displaced the experienced legs of Matt Holland, Bryan Hughes, and Amdy Faye. He was admired for his get-stuck-in attitude, his willingness to fight for the ball, his energy, his drive, and his motivation for bringing the ball out from the back, linking the positional lines, and starting play. These traits are often witnessed in Munich and Brazil from the powerful defender Lucio, and in the red-side of Manchester from the seasoned Rio Ferdinand. It was also during his time with Charlton that his passing and movement were noted. There can be no doubts that, in spite of the club’s eventual relegation (something Song had experienced before with Bastia), the man himself had grown in confidence, and this would prove essential on his return to North London.

Arsenal Return

With the experience from his recent loan, Song showed a marked improvement playing for the Emirates side. It was a new beginning for the still young defender. Much in the same way his coach at Bastia showed faith in him, Wenger granted Alex with Carling Cup opportunities against Newcastle United, Sheffield United, and most impressively Blackburn Rovers. Sheffield aside, these were sides that had a number of years and more experienced heads and legs, than a learning youthful and typically-Wenger Carling Cup team. He performed like he did whilst at Charlton. Either by receiving the ball to feet, or chasing the ball down himself, to instead of passing the ball out of defence, he would dribble the ball into safety. His concentration had improved, too.

His uncle Rigobert, the ever-so influential man in Alex’s life, was watching on in the Blackburn game and was overjoyed to see his blood surge from the back as the game was tied in extra time and provide Eduardo with the game-winning goal. It has been reported that it was this performance that prompted Rigobert to inform the Cameroonian authorities that he was worthy of a place in the upcoming African Cup of Nations tournament.

Africa Cup of Nations

Although he had no international experience the 6’1’’ tall former France U16 youth player was called up to participate in the 2008 African Cup of Nations to represent Cameroon. He even made his debut in their first group game, to replace Stephane Mbia at half time and join his uncle on the pitch. It has been reported that Song was drafted in to replace Mbia due to injury; however, those who say there was little balance in the West-African side’s midfield counter this claim. His inclusion was seen to be more of a tactical switch. Boy did it work. His performances until the end of the tournament were a revelation, even securing a man-of-the-match performance in the semi-final victory at the expense of Ghana, creating the assist for the only goal of the game. An injury sustained during this match may have proved costly but he still started the final, only to be forcibly replaced after 70 minutes, and eventually collect a runners-up medal. His efforts during this tournament were rewarded by the Technical Study Group, who analysed every player’s performances, and picked Song, along with Muntari, Yaya, Rabo, and Aboutreika, as the midfield men of the team of the tournament.

The Future

What does the future behold for Alexandre? With the departure of Mathieu Flamini from the Grove there is a vacant slot waiting to be filled anchoring the midfield. Whether Wenger fills this position with an acquisition still remains to be seen. Yet playing Alexandre in central defence for the final five games of the 2007-2008 season surely provides an insight into where Arsene views Song’s most suited vocation. His stock has risen monumentally from the days when he was criticised. Wenger revealed to the clubs official website: “I believe that Song is a remarkable player and I was one of the few who believed in him… I can even show you articles in newspapers that say he was the worst buy I have made but you will see in one or two years that he will be a great player for Arsenal. When I make a decision, I base it on the characteristics of the footballer, whether they be physical or mental.” Commenting on where Song’s more suitable position lay, Arsene said: “When I put a player somewhere, I know why I do it. If I play Song at centre back it is because I believe he will be a great centre back for Arsenal. In the case of Song, he can also play in central midfield. Can he play 60 games there in a single campaign? I am not convinced.” The player himself is just happy to play, no matter where it is on the field: “For me it does not matter if I play in defence or midfield. When I first arrived the coach told me he wanted me in midfield and that was not a problem for me – wherever the coach wants me to play then that is what I will try to do.” Regarding his future at the Emirates, Song said: “The boss has asked me to work hard all the time and give everything I have and never to give up. I will need to fight extremely hard if I am going to win a place in this Arsenal side.” With the loss of energy that the ‘running man’ Flamini gave the Gunners, this fighting spirit could be key to Alexandre’s inclusion in the first team this coming season.