Wenger signing who left for money and “didn’t give a f*** about playing” retires
A La Liga winner with a personal reference from legendary Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, Alex Song ’s career was nothing if not unpredictable.
The former Cameroonian midfielder announced on Tuesday that he would be hanging up his boots following a near two-decade career in football. Taking to Instagram with a heartfelt statement, he recounted the somewhat surprising locations that he had chosen to ply his trade.
The now 36-year-old wrote: “It is with great sadness that the time has come for me to hang up my boots. My journey that began in Yaoundé as a child, playing with no boots, in bare feet and on hard gravel, gave me the strength and courage to succeed.
“When I moved to France, playing for Bastia I thought I had achieved a miracle. However, this was only the start as my journey continued to Arsenal and Barcelona, two of the greatest clubs in the World. So many people have helped me along the way, my wife, my kids, family, friends, my agent, coaches and of course all my teammates whom I will forever be grateful.
“Of course Charlton, West Ham, Rubin Kazan, Sion and Arta/Solar 7 will always remain in my heart. Having the honour of representing my country 60 times also filled me with great pride. I feel blessed with so many great memories that will remain with me forever.
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“Lastly, I would like to thank all the fans who have supported me along the way, I will treasure everything. I hope to see you all again soon. Alex. There is only one Song.”
There’s no doubt there is indeed only one Alex Song - and there will likely be no one that matches his varied career. First getting his chance with French side Bastia, he impressed Wenger on a trial with Arsenal.
Arsene Wenger was impressed with Alex Song's showings during a trial (Getty Images)What was your Alex Song highlight? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Signed for a bargain £1million, Wenger’s backroom team were not convinced but the Frenchman stuck with the midfielder. Explaining the deal, the former Arsenal boss said: "I brought him here at the age of 17 and kept him despite all the opinions against him. He developed into a very good player, so you don't need to convince me he is a good player."
Song would go on to become a star with the Gunners as he made 204 appearances before a surprise move to Barcelona. More of a destroyer, it was certainly a shock to see the Catalans shell out £15million for him.
It all started so promisingly as he completed every single pass he attempted in the Spanish Supercopa showdown with Real Madrid. Song made 34 appearances for Barcelona that season but only 17 of those were league starts as he struggled to oust Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets - a daunting task for anyone - but he still walked away with a winners’ medal.
That did not bother Song though, who was more interested in his pay packet at the time. Speaking in an Instagram Live chat with the Cameroonian basketball star Pascal Siakam, he said: “When Barcelona offered me a contract, and I saw how much I would earn, I didn't think twice. I felt my wife and children should have comfortable lives once my career is over.
"I met Barca's sporting director, and he told me I would not get to play many games, but I didn't give a f*** – I knew that now I would become a millionaire."
His second season at the Camp Nou was more of the same before he surprisingly returned to the Premier League with a loan move to West Ham. Song again started brightly but his form in East London slumped.
Alex Song sealed a lucrative move to Barcelona in 2012 (Getty Images)With his future up in the air, West Ham co-owner David Sullivan made the intriguing move of offering Song a permanent deal despite the midfielder not being fit. He confirmed: "We just hope the medical shows he's in a sufficient state for us to gamble.
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"He couldn't physically pass a medical tomorrow, but if the medics say it's just a technical thing and he's only a couple of weeks away you'd take that gamble and hope they're right."
That offer was then retracted as Song bafflingly penned another loan deal with West Ham. With the midfielder moving into the twilight of his career, Russian side Rubin Kazan found an agreement to sign him, as Barcelona terminated the remainder of his contract once he'd returned from England.
After 18 months with the side and just 23 appearances, things went sour. Song was made to live at the club’s training ground, while he was also dropped from the first team and not paid a total of £7.9m in wages.
Rubin Kazan then sent a complaint to the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber as they demanded €40m (£34.8m) from the Cameroonian for breach of contract. Then moving to Swiss side Sion, things got even more complicated.
Song made 22 appearances for the team but was sacked for not taking a pay cut during the coronavirus pandemic. Arta/Solar7 (yeah, we don’t know either) were the next to take a chance on the midfielder as they tempted him to the Djiboutian top division. But just five appearances later, Song has wrapped up a career that can be summed up with only one word: unpredictable.
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