Alexandre Dimitri Song Billong born 9 September , better known as Alex Song , is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a central or defensive midfielder. He also played as a central defender. Song also possesses French nationality. 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 In , 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 β04 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 [ 10 ]. While playing for Bastia, he was selected as a part of France under national team. He later chose to represent Cameroon, his country of birth. He played as a centre-back but later made several appearances as a defensive midfielder.
He was highly regarded in this position by numerous coaches and supporters of Bastia. During his time at Bastia, he attracted attention from numerous clubs, including Internazionale , Juventus , Manchester United , Lyon and Middlesbrough. Song made his Premier League debut during Arsenal's 2β0 win against Everton on 19 September as a substitute. Song scored his first goal for Arsenal against Liverpool in Arsenal's 6β3 win at Anfield in the League Cup quarterfinals on 9 January On 30 January , it was confirmed that Charlton Athletic had signed Song on loan until the end of the β07 season.
Over the β08 season , Song started at centre back for Arsenal's League Cup matches, but missed their semi-final elimination by Tottenham Hotspur while away with Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations. The β09 season was Song's breakthrough year with Arsenal.
