Rigobert Song Bahanag was born on 1 July 1976 and is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who is the manager of the Cameroon national team.
36 Facts About Rigobert Song
2.
Rigobert Song has won two CAF Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2000 and 2002.
3.
In 2009, Rigobert Song was dropped as Cameroon skipper by new coach Paul Le Guen, who eventually appointed Samuel Eto'o as the new captain but later caused concerns as Rigobert Song had never been on the bench in more than 11 years for Cameroon.
4.
Rigobert Song started his professional career with Metz and helped the club to win the Coupe de la Ligue in 1996.
5.
Rigobert Song stayed there until 2004 and moved on to Turkey, where he spent four years with Galatasaray, winning two Super Lig titles and the Turkish Cup.
6.
Rigobert Song then signed a contract with Trabzonspor in 2008, where he won another Turkish Cup and stayed until 2010.
7.
Rigobert Song holds the record as youngest player ever to be sent off in a World Cup, aged 17.
8.
Rigobert Song Bahanag was born on 1 July 1976 in Nkenglikok, Nyong-et-Kelle.
9.
Rigobert Song made several strong appearances that earned him a selection to The Indomitable Lions for the World Cup in 1994.
10.
The first Cameroonian player to play for the Reds, Rigobert Song made his League debut against Coventry City at Highfield Road.
11.
Rigobert Song made a total of 38 appearances for the Reds.
12.
Rigobert Song left Anfield to sign for West Ham United on 28 November 2000 in a deal that saw Liverpool capture young Finnish striker Daniel Sjolund.
13.
Rigobert Song made his West Ham debut on 29 November 2000 in the League Cup.
14.
Rigobert Song left West Ham on 26 June 2002, joining RC Lens.
15.
Rigobert Song became an instant fan favourite after his transfer to Galatasaray and formed a strong defensive partnership with Stjepan Tomas at the heart of defence.
16.
Rigobert Song made his international debut on 22 September 1993 in a game against Mexico.
17.
At only 17 years old, Rigobert Song was given a surprise call-up to Henri Michel's Cameroon squad for the 1994 World Cup, playing two group matches in the finals against Sweden and Brazil.
18.
Rigobert Song received a red card in the match against Brazil, becoming the youngest player ever to be sent off in a World Cup, aged 17.
19.
The 24 years and 42 days age gap between Milla and 17-year-old future captain Rigobert Song became the largest between two teammates in World Cup history.
20.
Rigobert Song was a part of the Cameroon squads that won the 2000 and 2002 Africa Cup of Nations.
21.
Rigobert Song was part of the Cameroon squad for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.
22.
The only goal, made by Mohamed Aboutrika, came after a mistake by Rigobert Song, who covered his face with his shirt during the opponent's celebration.
23.
Rigobert Song holds the record of most consecutive games played in the African Nations Cup with 35 first-team games.
24.
Rigobert Song won the Nations Cup twice in Nigeria 2000 and Mali 2002, losing to Egypt in the finals in Ghana 2008.
25.
Rigobert Song was the most experienced player to be featured in South Africa 2010 with 136 caps for his nation.
26.
In late 2015, Rigobert Song was reportedly close to becoming the manager of the Chad national team but an agreement was never finalised.
27.
In February 2016, Rigobert Song was appointed as manager of the Cameroon A' team, which is composed of players based in Cameroon.
28.
Rigobert Song led the team into the tournament, which saw Cameroon finish bottom of their group after two losses and a draw.
29.
Rigobert Song assumed the role on a caretaker basis later in the year.
30.
On 17 October 2018, FECAFOOT announced that Rigobert Song would take control of the Cameroon under-23 team for the 2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations campaign.
31.
On 28 February 2022, it was announced that Rigobert Song replaced Toni Conceicao as the manager of the senior Cameroon national team.
32.
Rigobert Song guided Cameroon to the 2022 FIFA World Cup after beating Algeria in the final hurdle.
33.
Rigobert Song is married to Esther Rigobert Song, and has four children : Ronny, Bryan, Yohanna Bernadette and Hillary Veronique Liliane.
34.
On 3 October 2016, Rigobert Song suffered a cerebral attack and was hospitalised in Cameroon.
35.
Rigobert Song was in a coma for two days after having had a stroke with doctors planning to transfer him to a French hospital for further treatment.
36.
Rigobert Song returned to Cameroon in April 2017 and resumed coaching duties with Cameroon A' later that year.