 Song withCameroon in 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rigobert Song Bahanag | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1976-07-01)1 July 1976 (age 49) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Nkenglikok, Nyong-et-Kéllé, Cameroon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-back[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1998 | Metz | 123 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Salernitana | 4 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Liverpool | 34 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | West Ham United | 24 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | →1. FC Köln (loan) | 16 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Lens | 63 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2008 | Galatasaray | 104 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Trabzonspor | 46 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 414 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–2010 | Cameroon | 137 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Cameroon A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Cameroon (caretaker) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2022 | Cameroon U23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Cameroon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Central African Republic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rigobert Song Bahanag (born 1 July 1976) is a Cameroonian former professionalfootballer who is the manager of theCentral African Republic national team.
Known for his defensive skills, Song usually played as acentre-back, but could also operate atright-back. Internationally, he played at a record eightAfrica Cup of Nations tournaments and served ascaptain in five (the ones he was not captain for wereSouth Africa 1996,Burkina Faso 1998 andAngola 2010), a record, and holds the record of most consecutive games played in the tournament with 35 first team games. He has won two CAF Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2000 and 2002. In 2009, Song was dropped as Cameroon skipper by new coachPaul Le Guen, who eventually appointedSamuel Eto'o as the new captain, which later caused concerns, as Song had never been on the bench in more than eleven years for Cameroon.[3] With 137 appearances, Song also holds the record of the mostcapped player in the history of the Cameroon national team and has played in fourWorld Cups, in1994,1998,2002 and2010.[4]
Song started his professional career withMetz and helped the club to win theCoupe de la Ligue in 1996. After appearing at the 1998 World Cup, he joinedSalernitana, newly promoted to the top-flight ItalianSerie A. In January 1999, he left Italy to start successive stints withLiverpool,West Ham United and1. FC Köln, but after failing to hold down a first-team place, he returned to France to play forLens. He stayed there until 2004, before moving on to Turkey, where he spent four years withGalatasaray, winning twoSüper Lig titles and theTurkish Cup. Song then signed a contract withTrabzonspor in 2008, where he won another Turkish Cup and stayed until 2010.
Aside fromZinedine Zidane, Song is the only player to have been sent off in two different World Cups, once againstBrazil in 1994 and againstChile in 1998.[5] He also holds the record as youngest player ever to be sent off in a World Cup, aged 17.
Nicknamed "Big Chief" by Turkish fans,[6] he is the uncle of fellow Cameroon defensive midfielderAlex Song and ofrugby league playerJunior Nsemba[7]
Rigobert Song Bahanag[8] was born on 1 July 1976 inNkenglikok, Nyong-et-Kéllé.[9]
Song started his professional career atMetz. He made several strong appearances that earned him a selection toThe Indomitable Lions for the World Cup in 1994.
Following his Italian experience with Serie A sideSalernitana, Song moved toLiverpool in January 1999 for £2.7 million.[10] Having been frozen out by the Italians, he made a good impression during a trial spell at Anfield. Before he arrived, Song already had the distinction of playing in two World Cups for his country.
The first Cameroonian player to play for theReds, Song made his League debut againstCoventry City atHighfield Road. Early on he earned the support of Liverpool fans, who appreciated his strength, all-action style and effort. His natural position wascentre-back, but during his time at Anfield, Song operated atright-back and became a popular figure with Liverpool fans, who used to affectionately sing "We've only got one Song!" He had a mixed1999–2000 campaign, missing three months of the season, due to international matches with theIndomitable Lions, captaining them to victory in the2000 African Nations Cup, and scoring the decisive penalty in the final game againstNigeria.[citation needed]
Song was not able to find a spot in the starting eleven during the2000–01 season, and played just four games. One of the games was a2000–01 UEFA Cup first round away game againstRapid București.[11] Liverpool eventually won the tournament, making Song a UEFA Cup winner. His last appearance for Liverpool was a 1–1 draw withSunderland at Anfield on 23 September 2000. He made a total of 38 appearances for theReds. He left Anfield to sign forWest Ham United on 28 November 2000, in a deal that also saw Liverpool capture young Finnish strikerDaniel Sjölund.
Song signed for West Ham for £2.5 million. The club identified the 24-year-old defender as a possible replacement forRio Ferdinand, who had signed forLeeds United.[12] He made his West Ham debut on 29 November 2000 in theLeague Cup. In a fourth-round game at TheBoleyn Ground, West Ham lost 1–2 toSheffield Wednesday. Song's debut was described by theBBC as "unhappy".[13] In his early days, Song insisted that he did not want to be compared to Ferdinand, as he believed it was derogatory to his own talent.[14] Over two seasons, he made 27 appearances for West Ham in all competitions without scoring, his final game coming on 29 September 2001; a 5–0 away defeat toEverton in thePremier League.[15] In November 2001, he joined1. FC Köln on loan, for the remainder of the 2001–02 season. He left West Ham on 26 June 2002, joiningLens.[16]
Song then signed forGalatasaray in 2004. He became an instant fan favourite, and formed a strong defensive partnership withStjepan Tomas at the heart of defence.[citation needed]
During the2006–07 season, he struggled to find a place in the team, after an argument with then-Galatasaray managerEric Gerets during a league game. Although Song apologized for the incident both publicly and privately, Gerets had no interest in letting bygones be bygones, and the player remained out of favour. With the arrival of new coachKarl-Heinz Feldkamp in the2007–08 season, Song once again become a vital member of the squad, and the club's new captain. Upon his return from the African Cup of Nations with Cameroon, however, he found himself on the bench due to injury, with the emergence ofEmre Güngör who partneredServet Çetin at the heart of the defence in Galatasaray's run for their 16th league title. With a better offer to play elsewhere, Song decided to leave at the end of the 2007–08 season to sign for fellowSüper Lig clubTrabzonspor.
Song joined the club on a free transfer. After a successful start to2008–09 season, he became a fan-favorite inTrabzon, playing 28 games in the league without accumulating any yellow or red cards, nor scoring any goals. AfterErsun Yanal resigned as manager, however, Song lost his place in the starting lineup.[17] Nonetheless, during the next season, he became Trabzonspor's new captain on 1 December 2009, afterŞenol Güneş took over as the club's new manager.[18] Trabzonspor would end up becoming the last club of his professional career.
Considered a key player forCameroon for over a decade, Song played in the1994,1998,2002 and2010World Cups.[19] He made his international debut on 22 September 1993, in a game againstMexico.
At only 17 years old, Song was given a surprise call-up toHenri Michel's Cameroon squad for the 1994 World Cup, playing two group matches in the finals againstSweden andBrazil. He received ared card in the match against Brazil, becoming the youngest player ever to be sent off in a World Cup. Led by veteran strikerRoger Milla, theIndomitable Lions were knocked out in the group stage. The 24 years and 42 days age gap between Milla (42 years and 35 days) and future captain Song (17 years and 358 days) became (and remains) the largest between two teammates in World Cup history.[20]
Song then participated at the 1998 World Cup. Led by Song,Patrick Mboma and 17-year old strikerSamuel Eto'o, Cameroon were eliminated in the group stage following a draw withAustria (1–1), a loss toItaly (3–0) and another draw withChile. After receiving a red card in the last game againstLa Roja,[21] Song broke another record: he became the first player ever to be sent off at two different World Cups.Zinedine Zidane, who was also sent off at this World Cup, has since achieved this feat as well, receiving his second red card inthe final of the 2006 tournament.
Song was a part of the Cameroon squads that won the2000 and2002 Africa Cup of Nations. After winning the 23rd edition of the football championship of Africa, theIndomitable Lions featured in the 2002 World Cup, but were again eliminated in the group stage following a 1–1 draw with theRepublic of Ireland, a 1–0 win overSaudi Arabia and a 2–0 defeat toGermany.
Song's next tournament was the2003 Confederations Cup. TheIndomitable Lions qualified for the semi-finals after wins against Brazil (0–1) andTurkey (1–0) and a draw with the United States. The defender then led his team againstColombia in the knockout stage. In the 72nd minute of the game, Song's long-time friendMarc-Vivien Foé collapsed in the centre circle, with no other players near him. Foé died the same day due tohypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a hereditary condition known to increase the risk of sudden death during physical exercise. Cameroon eventually won the game 1–0, but lost toFrance in the finals after extra time.
Although Cameroon did not manage to qualify for the2006 World Cup finals, the team participated in the2006 Africa Cup of Nations. In the tournament, Song became the mostcapped player in Cameroon history. After three wins overAngola (3–1),Togo (2–0) andCongo DR (2–0) in the group stage, theIndomitable Lions were eliminated in the quarter-finals byIvory Coast, following a 24-penalty shoot-out, in which Cameroon was defeated 12–11.
Song was also part of the Cameroon squad for the2008 Africa Cup of Nations. After a 4–2 loss toEgypt in the Group C opening match, the veteran defender led his team to wins againstZambia (5–1) andSudan (3–0). In the first game againstThe Pharaohs, Song's nephewAlex made his international debut for Cameroon, joining Rigobert on the pitch at half-time. The captain then carried theIndomitable Lions to the knockout stage, in which they defeatedTunisia (2–3) andGhana (0–1) before losing the final to Egypt 1–0. The only goal, made byMohamed Aboutrika, came after a mistake by Song, who covered his face with his shirt during the opponent's celebration.[22]
On 31 May 2008, Song scored the first goal for Cameroon after nine minutes, in a 2–0 home win againstCape Verde. With the win, theIndomitable Lions took an early lead in Group 1 of the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.[23]
In 2009, Song was dropped as captain of the Cameroonian national team, from the World Cup/African Nations Cup qualifiers by new coachPaul Le Guen, but still remained the player that defined the image of the national team. Le Guen eventually appointed Samuel Eto'o as his new captain. On 12 August 2009, Cameroon's most-capped player was left out of the starting eleven for the first time in ten years in a friendly game against Austria.[24] In 16 years with the national team, he has been to the African Nations Cup a record eight times, serving as captain in five competitions - except in South Africa in 1996, Burkina Faso in 1998 and Angola in 2010.[25] Song holds the record of most consecutive games played in the African Nations Cup, with 35 first-team games. He won the Nations Cup twice in Nigeria 2000 and Mali 2002, losing to Egypt in the finals in Ghana 2008.
In 2010, Cameroon was featured in the2010 Africa Cup of Nations, but failed to win the tournament. On 13 January 2010, theLions lost in a 1–0 group-stage upset againstGabon, but won a match against Zambia four days later, 3–2. Despite being considered an experienced player, some of Song's mistakes in the tournament were called "self-destructive": in the first game against Gabon, a defensive error allowedDaniel Cousin's goal, and against Zambia in the second, he headed a cross towards his own goal.[26][27] The team still qualified for the quarter-finals with four points, after a draw with Tunisia on 21 January, in which Song came in as a substitute. Two days later, Cameroon was eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations, following a 3–1 loss after extra time to Egypt. In the match,Aurélien Chedjou was preferred to Song, ending the former captain's run of 36 successive Africa Cup of Nations matches, a total of 3,201 minutes.[28] After such events, Song was relegated to a role as backup for a string of games, as Le Guen often preferred to field younger players such asSébastien Bassong andBenoît Assou-Ekotto.[29]
Although he had handed the captain's armband over to Eto'o, Song was still selected for the2010 World Cup squad in South Africa,[30] making him the only player to play in the 1994 and 2010 World Cup finals. He was also the most experienced player to be featured in South Africa 2010, with 136 caps for his nation.[31]
Song did not play in Cameroon's opening game of the World Cup againstJapan.[32] TheSamurai Blue won the game 1–0, with a goal fromKeisuke Honda.[33] After the match, Song and some senior players claimed that Cameroon's youngsters were not up to required standard, and asked Le Guen to reconsider his lineup for the next group match againstDenmark.[32][34] Song, however, was again omitted in the game with Denmark, which Cameroon lost 2–1. With the loss, they became the first team to be mathematically eliminated in the 2010 World Cup. The former captain eventually featured in the last game against theNetherlands, his fourth World Cup participation; he entered the match as a substitute forNicolas N'Koulou in the 73rd minute of the second-half.[35] TheIndomitable Lions went out of the tournament with a 1–2 loss and shortly after, on 1 August, Song retired from international duty after 137 total appearances.[36]
In late 2015, Song was reportedly close to becoming the manager of the Chad national team, but an agreement was never finalised.[37] In February 2016, Song was appointed as manager of theCameroon A' team, which is composed of players based in Cameroon.[38] Following his hospitalisation for abrain aneurysm and subsequent recovery, Song resumed coaching duties in 2017, ahead of thequalification stage of the2018 African Nations Championship.[39] He led the team into the tournament, which saw Cameroon finish bottom of their group after two losses and a draw.[40][41]
In April 2018, Song was one of 77 applicants for the vacantCameroon national team job.[42] He assumed the role on acaretaker basis later in the year.[43]
On 17 October 2018, FECAFOOT announced that Song would take control of theCameroon under-23 team for the2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations campaign.[44]
On 28 February 2022, it was announced that Song had replacedToni Conceição as the manager of the Cameroon national team.[45] He guided Cameroon to the2022 FIFA World Cup, after beatingAlgeria in the final hurdle.[46] At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, his Cameroon team failed to progress from the group stage, despite guiding Cameroon to their first World Cup victory since2002 against the mightyBrazil, with a shock 1–0 win.[47]
On 29 February 2024, he was dismissed from the job, following Cameroon's poor performance in the2023 Africa Cup of Nations.[48]
He became theCentral African Republic national football team manager in January 2025 ahead of the2024 African Nations Championship in August 2025.
Song's father, Paul Song, died when he was young. Song is married to Esther Song, and has four children (two sons and two daughters): Ronny Paul, Bryan, Yohanna Bernadette and Hillary Veronique Liliane. They currently live in Liverpool. Rigobert is also a national ambassador for Cameroon.[49]
He acquiredFrench nationality bynaturalization on 21 January 1999.[50]
His nephewAlex Song played as a defensive midfielder for clubs in France, England, Spain, Russia, and Djibouti. About the relationship with Rigobert, Alex said: "I speak to him all the time and always call on him for advice. He's a good person to talk to because of his experience in England and I can ask him anything, depending on situations."[51]
On 3 October 2016, it was reported that Song had suffered a "cerebral attack", and was hospitalised in Cameroon. He was in a coma for two days, after having had astroke, with doctors planning to transfer him to a French hospital for further treatment.[52][53] He returned to Cameroon in April 2017, and resumed coaching duties later that year.[39]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Metz | 1994–95 | French Division 1 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 27 | 2 | |
| 1995–96 | French Division 1 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 41 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97 | French Division 1 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[a] | 1 | 41 | 1 | |
| 1997–98 | French Division 1 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
| Total | 123 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 142 | 4 | ||
| Salernitana | 1998–99 | Serie A | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 1 | ||
| Liverpool | 1998–99 | Premier League | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 0 | |
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | ||
| West Ham United | 2000–01 | Premier League | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 22 | 0 | |
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 28 | 0 | |||
| 1. FC Köln | 2001–02 | Bundesliga | 16 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 19 | 1 | ||
| Lens | 2002–03 | Ligue 1 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8[b] | 1 | 45 | 4 |
| 2003–04 | Ligue 1 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| Total | 63 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 78 | 4 | ||
| Galatasaray | 2004–05 | Süper Lig | 28 | 2 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06 | Süper Lig | 29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 2[a] | 0 | 33 | 1 | ||
| 2006–07 | Süper Lig | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 7[d] | 0 | 35 | 1 | |
| 2007–08 | Süper Lig | 22 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 8[a] | 1 | 32 | 2 | ||
| Total | 104 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 132 | 6 | ||
| Trabzonspor | 2008–09 | Süper Lig | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 31 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Süper Lig | 18 | 0 | 5 | 1 | – | 2[e] | 1 | 23 | 2 | ||
| Total | 46 | 0 | 8 | 1 | – | 2 | 1 | 56 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 414 | 11 | 29 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 42 | 4 | 501 | 18 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameroon | 1993 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 | 4 | 1 | |
| 1995 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 12 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 129 | 5 | |
List of international goals scored by Rigobert Song
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 January 1998 | Roumdé Adjia Stadium,Garoua, Cameroon |  Angola | 1–0 | Win | Friendly match |
| 2 | 6 June 1999 | Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo,Yaoundé, Cameroon |  Eritrea | 1–0 | Win | 2000 African Cup qualifying |
| 3 | 6 June 2004 | Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaoundé, Cameroon |  Benin | 2–1 | Win | 2006 World Cup qualifying |
| 4 | 4 June 2005 | Stade de l'Amitié,Cotonou, Benin | Benin | 1–4 | Win | 2006 World Cup qualifying |
| 5 | 31 May 2008 | Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaoundé, Cameroon |  Cape Verde | 2–0 | Win | 2010 World Cup qualifying |
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Cameroon U23 | 23 October 2018 | 17 July 2022 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 033.33 |
| Cameroon | 1 March 2022 | 28 February 2024 | 23 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 026.09 |
| Total | 31 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 029.03 | ||
Metz
Liverpool
Galatasaray[58]
Trabzonspor[58]
Cameroon
Orders
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Knight of theOrder of Valour[70][71]
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