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14.04.2005
No swan song yet for the General
(FIFA.com)
By the end of the qualifying campaign for the FIFA World Cup finals in Germany, Cameroon`s captain Rigobert Song should have reached the milestone of 100 caps.
Given that a total of 106 players are already members of the FIFA Century Club, this is no longer as uncommon as a decade ago, but it will mark a new achievement for African football.
To date there have been only six African footballers who have passed the 100-cap total and all hail from north Africa countries.
Hossam Hassan of Egypt leads a list of four other compatriots while Noureddine Naybet of Morocco has now won 107 caps. But if Song reaches the landmark, as is expected, he will become the first player from sub-Saharan Africa to join the exclusive club.
Last month`s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Sudan in Yaoundé marked the 94th appearance for Song in the national team and, with four matches left to go in the qualifiers plus a handful of dates for friendly internationals in between, the Galatasaray player is on course to make history.
The tenacious defender, whose club career has seen him play in several of the world`s top leagues, made his debut as a 17-year-old for the Indomitable Lions in 1993 and has played at the last three World Cup finals for his country.
His aggressive style and strong leadership qualities have marked him out as one of the continent`s most charismatic players over the decades. That he is known as "The General" by his Cameroon team mates is no coincidence.
"I love Cameroon and I love being a symbol for the country. It is a great honour. It is for that reason I have always honoured call-ups to play for the team and why I have been able to captain a side like the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon," says the 28-year-old.
"I`m always content to be with the national team. It has a really great ambiance and we form one big, happy family."
Born in Nkengilock, Song played at Red Star Bangou and then Tonnerre Yaoundé before moving to Metz in France after the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the USA.
His club career has also taken him to Salernitana in Italy, Liverpool and West Ham in England, FC Cologne in Germany, back to France with Lens and now at Galatasaray. His honours include captaining Cameroon to two African Nations Cup titles and playing in the UEFA Champions League with Lens.
Africa`s failure to deliver more players to the FIFA Century Club often arose from a scarcity of fixtures. Two decades ago, few teams played matches outside of those which served as qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, the Nations Cup or the Olympic Games, which prior to 1992 were played at full international level in Africa and Asia.
The qualifiers were also knockout affairs, meaning that many countries played just two matches before being eliminated and then had to wait an age before returning to action. When African footballers started playing at professional clubs in Europe, they were infrequently back home for national team duty. Up until 1988, the Nations Cup finals did not allow European-based footballers to feature at the tournament.
The last African to reach the FIFA Century Club was Egyptian pocket dynamo Ahmed Hassan, who achieved his ton in the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Benin in Cotonou last July. He marked the milestone with a goal in the 3-3 draw. Naybet became the first African from outside Egypt to join the exclusive group during the 2004 Nations Cup finals in Tunisia.
Africa`s most capped international is striker Hossam Hassan, who has 163 caps, the last of which was won at the age of 38 against Gabon last year. For a while, he was the world`s most capped international, receiving a special armband from FIFA president Sepp Blatter when he won his 151st cap in Cairo, eclipsing Lothar Matthaus of Germany`s old record of 150. Mexico`s Claudio Suárez currently lays claim to the record with 172 caps while the other African centurions are Ibrahim Hassan, Hani Ramzy and Nader El Sayed, all of Egypt.
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 Magnan, cœur de Lion
Esther et Rigobert Song se promettent "amour et fidélité". Leur bénédiction nuptiale a eu lieu samedi, 25 juin 2005 dans une Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Victoires de Yaoundé......
[quotidienmutations.info][27.06.2005][12990 hits][0 R]
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Les noces du Lion
Le capitaine de l’équipe nationale de football Rigobert Song Bahanag et Esther Nomo Mballa, se sont unis hier pour le meilleur et pour le......
[cameroon-tribune.cm][23.06.2005][12507 hits][0 R]
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Le "Général" toujours vert
D`ici à la fin de la compétition préliminaire de la zone Afrique pour la Coupe du Monde Allemagne 2006, Rigobert Song, le capitaine de la sélection nationale du Cameroun, aura certainement atteint......
[FIFA.COM][14.04.2005][7395 hits][0 R]
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No swan song yet for the General
By the end of the qualifying campaign for the FIFA World Cup finals in Germany, Cameroon`s captain Rigobert Song should have reached the milestone of 100......
[FIFA.COM][14.04.2005][6211 hits][0 R]
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Diaspora: Un Song retentissant
Le capitaine des Lions a inscrit son premier but dans le championnat turc samedi dernier.Après 19 étapes du championnat de Turquie, Galatasaray, le club de l`emblématique capitaine des Lions,......
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L’homme : Rigobert jette le mauvais Song .
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Transfert : L’au-revoir de Rigobert Song
Malgré les relances des Ukrainiens du Metalurg Donetsk et des Espagnols de Majorque, Rigobert Song a finalement signé dimanche un contrat de trois années plus une avec les Turcs de Galatasaray.......
[CLUBNEWS][15.07.2004][5862 hits][0 R]
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Song completes move to Galatasaray
Cameroon captain Rigobert Song, seen here in January 2004, moved to Turkish club Galatasaray from French side Lens
Cameroon captain Rigobert Song moved to Turkish club Galatasaray from French side......
[Autres][14.07.2004][5729 hits][0 R]
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Rigobert Song goes Galataray Turkey
The skipper of the Indomitable Lions Rigobert Song has moved from Lens, France to Turkish giants, Galatasaray for a fee of about 3 million US......
[FECAFOOT][14.07.2004][2859 hits][0 R]
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Galatasaray grab Song
Cameroon captain Rigobert Song has signed for Turkish giants Galatasaray from French club Lens. The 28-year-old defender has cost the Turkish club US $1.5......
[BBC][14.07.2004][4843 hits][0 R]
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Song Bahanag à Galatasaray
Le capitaine des Lions Indomptables, Rigobert Song Bahanag, vient de signer un contrat de deux ans assorti de l’option d’une année avec Galatasaray, club mythique de la capitale de la Turquie. A son......
[lemessager.net][12.07.2004][6022 hits][0 R]
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Rigobert Song
Annoncé partant depuis quelques temps, c`est finalement à Istanbul (Turquie) que le capitaine des Lions Indomptables et ex-capitaine Lensois a posé ses valises. " Magnan " a apposé sa signature sur......
[quotidienmutations.info][12.07.2004][2768 hits][0 R]
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Transfert - Song à Galatasaray: "pas encore", selon Lens
Le RC Lens (Ligue 1 de football) a confirmé samedi que son défenseur international camerounais Rigobert Song était très proche de signer à Galatasaray (1re div. turque), même si les choses n`étaient......
[AFP][11.07.2004][5224 hits][0 R]
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Transfert - Rigobert Song à Galatasaray, selon la presse
Le défenseur et capitaine de l`équipe nationale de football du Cameroun Rigobert Song qui évolue à Lens (1re div. française) doit signer prochainement un contrat en faveur du club de Galatasaray......
[AFP][11.07.2004][4992 hits][0 R]
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Rigobert Song Bahanag : Le retour de "Magnan" .
Il était tout soulagé le 6 juin dernier au stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, au terme de la rencontre contre les Ecureuils du Bénin. "Il y a eu beaucoup de critiques ces derniers temps contre moi. Je tenais......
[quotidienmutations.info][21.06.2004][7227 hits][0 R]
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Vestiaires : Transferts .
Rigobert Song a été placé sur la liste des transferts de Rc Lens. Selon le quotidien L`Equipe, édition de lundi dernier, le capitaine des Lions indomptables serait en contacts avancés avec......
[quotidienmutations.info][11.06.2004][4130 hits][0 R]
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Les réactions
Rigobert Song (capitaine des Lions indomptables)
J`ai beaucoup été critiqué ces derniers temps. Je tenais à montrer aux supporters du Cameroun que l`on peut traverser des moments difficiles, mais......
[quotidienmutations.info][07.06.2004][8112 hits][0 R]
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Trois questions à... Rigobert Song
Un déplacement à Saint-Symphorien ne saurait être un match comme les autres pour Rigobert Song. C’est, en effet, le club lorrain qui accueillit en 1994, et fit mûrir, sous la houlette d’un certain......
[CLUBNEWS][05.03.2004][5692 hits][0 R]
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Cameroon`s Rigobert Song was sent off for Lens
As the Cup of Nations came to an end, many of Africa`s top players were already back in action with their league clubs across Europe. And of course some had never been called to......
[BBC][19.02.2004][3376 hits][0 R]
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