Alexandre Dimitri Song Billong better known as Alexandre Song is a professional football player born on September 9, 1987 in Douala, Cameroon. He is the nephew of Rigobert Song, who is a member of the Cameroon international team and Galatasaray, Turkish football club.
In 2003, Alexandre Song made his debut for the Cameroon national side in the Under-17 category, in their first group match against Egypt, where he replaced Stephane Mbia and played alongside his uncle, Rigobert Song. It was during this tournament that his defense skills came into play, which made the world to take notice of him as a defender. This skillful performance earned him ‘Man of the Match’ award in their semifinal game. He was also named in the Tournament Best XI, alongside Newcastle midfielder Geremi. Alexandre Song has been named in the Cameroon squad for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.
Alexandre Song began his international football career with the Bastia youth team in the 2003-04 season. In the following season, he was a part of the first team and made 34 appearances for the club. With his impressive performance in this season, he attracted many clubs, which include Inter, Manchester United, Lyon, and Middlesbrough. Later, Alexandre Song was tried out during Arsenal’s pre-season training camp held in Austria; following this, the club secured his services on loan from the 2005-06 season. He made his premiership debut for the club during their match against Everton F.C. in 2005 as a substitute, where his team won 2-0. During the end of the season, Alexandre Song played in several Champions League matches and made several Premiership starts for the club.
In June 2006, impressed with his performance, Arsenal football club signed Alexandre Song as a centre-back for a four year contract, which was worth £1 million. He scored his first goal for Arsenal in their game against Liverpool in the League Cup, he was one of the goal scorers in their impressive 6-3 win. In 2007, Charlton Athletic football club signed him on loan till the end of the 2006-07 season. Alexandre Song resumed his position as center-back with Arsenal in the beginning of 2007, but also plays as a midfielder. The 2007-08 season was one of the remarkable season in his sports career, he was a part of the team that won both the Emirates Cup and the Amsterdam Tournament.
