Arsenal star Alex Song finds harmony in the family

28 November 2009 17:23
Alex Song, the muscular midfielder you will see taking the fight to Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, is not the kind of man you might expect. [LNB]This has been Song's season. Before the transfer window closed, Arsène Wenger was considering bringing Patrick Vieira back to Arsenal but his faith in Song's ability to play in the defensive midfield role has been more than justified. [LNB] Related ArticlesAnelka fulfils potential at lastArsenal v Chelsea: match previewPremier League tablePremier League fixturesSettled Nicolas Anelka eyes second titleWilliam Gallas doubtful for Chelsea matchAs acknowledgement of his exceptional progress, Arsenal have given Song a new contract believed to take him through to 2015. [LNB]At 22 he is married with two sons and has developed into one of the most important players in one of the most exciting club teams in the world. But something still is not right. [LNB]"My eldest son is three, the same age I was when I lost my father," he explains. "When he comes home from school and he's saying 'daddy come play with me', it makes me think. [LNB]"Sometimes I just sit on my sofa at home and think 'I just miss something, I miss something'. Just talking to you now, I want to cry."[LNB]1½ hours with the children on the wards of Great Ormond Street Hospital so his emotions are raw and this is obviously difficult territory for him. The death of his father and the absence he felt acutely in his childhood have clearly been the shaping force in his life. [LNB]"I did not have the chance to know my dad it was very, very difficult for me. When I was at school I would see my friends getting picked up by their dads at school I did not have anybody. [LNB]That is why, when I was just eight years old, I decided I just wanted to be a dad, to have my family close. I want to have the love I did not have when I was young. [LNB]When I had my first one [aged 19] I gave thanks to God because I just wanted to have a family. I have two kids and I try to give everything to them, every day." He was brought up by his devoted, but strict mother, Catrine, with some help and guidance from his uncle Rigobert, the former Liverpool and West Ham defender. [LNB] "He helped a lot, a lot," he said. "It was not easy for me, but he was there. I'm happy with my life today. Maybe if my dad is here now, he is happy too. [LNB]''I have my sons, I have my wife, I have a good life, I play football, I love my job. If I had my dad with me to enjoy the life with me, it would be perfect."[LNB]Song left Douala in Cameroon when he was eight and can only recall fragmented images and sensations of his childhood in Africa playing in the street with his friends, the taste of the food. Initially he moved with his mother to Les Lilas, in the banlieues of Paris. [LNB]Cameroon is a francophone country but Song's thick accent meant he struggled to adapt to French life for the first six months. Eventually, after his cousin pleaded his case, Song's mother relented and let Song start playing football for the local club. At 12 years old, his life was about to change all over again. [LNB]Needing a bigger flat the family were five to one room they moved to Saint Ouen in Paris, where Song could see the pitch of local club Red Star from the window of his tower block. [LNB]He talked his way into a trial, hoping just to make friends, but the club were soon writing to the French Football Federation to get special permission to promote him up the year groups. Red Star prides itself on nurturing talent: the year before, Abou Diaby had been playing for the same team. [LNB]After a youth tournament game with Parma he was spotted by scouts for the Corsican club, Bastia. "After I got home from the game someone just rang me that night to say "Do you want to come to Bastia?" [LNB]"I said yes, I don't know why! Why not? My mum of course said "no" she knew that when I lost my dad it was very difficult for me. [LNB]"To go to Corsica was a very big change and I was just 13. My mum told the manager: life is not easy for him because he has lost his dad, I would like to protect him. But, I don't know why, I had this good feeling with the manager, so I went."[LNB]That manager was Francois Ciccolini who served as a surrogate father to Song in Corsica, and as he was promoted up the ranks of youth team coaches to the first team, he took Song with him. [LNB]No gifted player emerging through a French youth system goes unnoticed at Arsenal. Arsène Wenger invited him for a trial at their pre-season training camp in Austria in the summer of 2005, signed him on loan for a year before making the £1 million deal permanent in the summer of 2006. [LNB]It was another transition in Song's life and another period of protracted loneliness as he lived in a hotel and struggled to learn English. [LNB]The following year though, it all came together, as Song's childhood dream of having a family of his own was realised. "When I was 18 as my wife came to stay," he said. [LNB] "That's why, at 19, when I had my first son, my life is changed. Now I have the family I want to give everything. I worked for a long time and I want to give everything." [LNB]

Source: Telegraph