Jean-Alain Boumsong facts for kids

Jean-Alain Boumsong Somkong (born 14 December 1979) is a French former professional football player. He played as a defender, which means his main job was to stop the other team from scoring goals.

Boumsong started his professional football journey with the French club Le Havre in 1997. Later, in 2000, he moved to AJ Auxerre. His great playing at Auxerre led him to join Rangers in Scotland in 2004. After just one season there, he moved to Newcastle United in England. In 2006, he joined the famous Italian club Juventus, helping them get back to the top league, Serie A. He then returned to France to play for Lyon in 2008. His last team was Panathinaikos in Greece, where he finished his career in 2013. Boumsong also played for the French national team, making 27 appearances and scoring 1 goal between 2003 and 2009.

Quick facts for kids
Jean-Alain Boumsong

Boumsong in 2013
Personal information
Date of birth	(1979-12-14) 14 December 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth	Douala, Cameroon
Height	1.91 m
Playing position	Centre-back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1997–2000	Le Havre	42	(1)
2000–2004	Auxerre	131	(3)
2004–2005	Rangers	18	(2)
2005–2006	Newcastle United	47	(0)
2006–2008	Juventus	33	(2)
2008–2010	Lyon	59	(2)
2010–2013	Panathinaikos	52	(5)
Total		382	(15)
National team
2003–2009	France	27	(1)
Teams managed
2018–2019	Cameroon (assistant)
Honours Men's football Representing  France FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 2003 FIFA World Cup Runner-up 2006
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out in France

Jean-Alain Boumsong was born in Douala, Cameroon. He began his football journey in France with Le Havre. Later, he moved to AJ Auxerre. A big moment for him at Auxerre was scoring the winning goal in the 2003 French Cup Final. Auxerre won 2–1 against Paris Saint-Germain in that exciting match.

Playing for Rangers

In 2004, Boumsong joined the Scottish club Rangers. He quickly showed how good he was as a defender. He played so well that there were soon talks about him moving to a bigger club. Halfway through the 2004–05 season, Newcastle United offered a lot of money for him. Rangers accepted the offer. Even though he moved to Newcastle in January 2005, Boumsong still received a Scottish Premiership Winners Medal. This was because he had played enough games for Rangers that season before he left.

Time at Newcastle United

Boumsong signed a five-and-a-half-year contract with Newcastle United. The transfer fee was quite high, especially since he had joined Rangers for free just months before. This move caused some discussion at the time.

During his time at Newcastle, his performance was sometimes great and sometimes not as strong. In his first season, fans liked his defending skills. They often cheered his name loudly during games.

Moving to Juventus

On August 22, 2006, Boumsong joined Juventus, a famous Italian club. They had recently been moved down to a lower league called Serie B. He helped Juventus get back to the top league, Serie A. In September 2006, he scored his first goal for Juventus in a 3–0 win against Crotone. He also scored an important goal against Inter Milan in a cup match in January 2008.

Returning to France with Lyon

On January 24, 2008, Boumsong moved back to France to play for Olympique Lyonnais, also known as Lyon. He signed a three-and-a-half-year contract. He said he made this move to improve his chances of being chosen for the French national team for the EURO 2008 tournament. He made his first appearance for Lyon in a 4–1 win against Sochaux. In April 2009, he scored his first goal for Lyon against Le Mans.

Playing in Greece for Panathinaikos

On July 30, 2010, Boumsong transferred from Lyon to Panathinaikos, a top team in Greece. He signed a three-year contract. After a bit of a slow start, he played better and better, earning the trust of the fans. He scored his first goal in a 2–0 win against Panserraikos. In 2012, he signed another two-year contract with Panathinaikos. He was also made the team's vice-captain for the 2012–13 season.

International Career

Boumsong made his first appearance for the French national team against Japan on June 20, 2003. He was part of the squad for Euro 2004, where he played a short time as a substitute in one game.

He became a regular player for the national team during the qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was chosen for the 2006 World Cup squad but did not play in any games. Boumsong was also in the French squad for Euro 2008.

During Euro 2008, he played in only one game. In a match against Italy, he came on as a substitute for another player who had just come on as a substitute! This means he was a "substitute's substitute." He had done this once before in Euro 2004, making him the first player in European Championship history to do this twice.

Life After Playing Football

Coaching Career

After he stopped playing football, Boumsong started working as a sports expert for a TV channel called beIN Sports. On September 5, 2018, he became an assistant manager for the Cameroon national football team. He worked alongside other famous players like Clarence Seedorf and Patrick Kluivert. He left this role in September 2019.

Playing Style

Boumsong was known for being a strong player. He was also very fast and good at understanding the game, which helped him defend well.

Personal Life

Jean-Alain Boumsong became a French citizen on January 16, 2002. His younger brother, Yannick Boumsong, is also a professional football player. He is also the older cousin of another footballer, David Ngog.

Honours

Auxerre

• French Cup: 2002–03

Rangers

• Scottish Premier League: 2004–05

Juventus

• Serie B: 2006–07

Lyon

• Ligue 1: 2007–08
• French Cup: 2007–08

France

• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2003

• FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2006

Images for kids

• 

  Boumsong in 2013

See also

In Spanish: Jean-Alain Boumsong para niños