Jean-Alain Boumsong facts for kids
.JPG)
Boumsong in 2013
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jean-Alain Boumsong Somkong | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 14 December 1979 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Douala, Cameroon | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | 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) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2009 | France | 27 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Cameroon (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jean-Alain Boumsong Somkong (born on December 14, 1979) is a French former professional football player. He was a strong defender on the field.
Boumsong started his professional career in 1997 with the French club Le Havre. He then moved to AJ Auxerre in 2000. His great playing at Auxerre led him to join Rangers in 2004. After one season, he signed with Newcastle United. In 2006, he joined Juventus in Italy. He helped them return to Serie A, Italy's top league. He went back to France with Lyon in 2008. His last team was Panathinaikos in Greece. He finished his playing career in 2013. From 2003 to 2009, he played 27 games for the French national team and scored one goal.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out in France
Jean-Alain Boumsong was born in Douala, Cameroon. He began his football journey with the French team Le Havre. Later, he joined AJ Auxerre. A memorable moment was when he scored the winning goal for Auxerre in the 89th minute. This helped them win the 2003 French Cup Final against Paris Saint-Germain with a score of 2–1.
Time with Rangers
In 2004, Boumsong joined Rangers in Scotland. He signed a five-year contract with the club. He quickly showed his skills as a centre-back in the Scottish league. His strong performances made other big clubs interested in him.
Halfway through the 2004–05 season, Newcastle offered £8 million for him. Rangers accepted the offer. Even though he moved to Newcastle in January 2005, Boumsong had played enough games for Rangers. This meant he still received a Scottish Premiership Winners Medal when Rangers won the title that season.
Playing for Newcastle United
Boumsong signed a five-and-a-half-year contract with Newcastle United. During his time at Newcastle, his performance was sometimes strong and sometimes not as consistent. In his first season, fans praised his defensive skills. He formed a good partnership with his teammate Titus Bramble.
Moving to Juventus
On August 22, 2006, Boumsong joined Juventus in Italy. Juventus had recently been moved down to Serie B, a lower league. He joined for a fee of £3.3 million. In September 2006, Boumsong scored his first goal for Juventus. It was in a 3–0 win against Crotone. He helped the team return to Serie A, the top Italian league. In his last game for Juventus, he scored an important goal. It was an equaliser in a Coppa Italia match against their rivals Inter Milan on January 23, 2008.
Return to France with Lyon
On January 24, 2008, Boumsong moved back to France. He joined Olympique Lyonnais on a three-and-a-half-year contract. He hoped this move would help him get picked for France's EURO 2008 team.
He played his first game for Lyon on February 8, 2008. It was a 4–1 win against Sochaux. In the 2008–09 season, he scored his first goal for Lyon. This happened in a game against Le Mans on April 4, 2009.
Final Club: Panathinaikos
On July 30, 2010, Boumsong moved from Olympique Lyonnais to Superleague Greece champions Panathinaikos F.C.. He signed a three-year contract with the Greek club. He scored his first goal for them in a 2–0 win against Panserraikos.
In 2012, Boumsong signed a new two-year contract with Panathinaikos. This extended his stay until 2014. He was also named the club's vice-captain for the 2012–13 season. He scored the first goal in a 2–0 win against Motherwell. This was in a qualifying round for the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League.
International Career for France
Boumsong made his debut for the French national team on June 20, 2003. This game was against Japan. He was part of the squad for Euro 2004. However, he only played a short time as a substitute in one game.
He became a regular player for the national team during the 2006 World Cup qualifiers. He was chosen for the 2006 World Cup squad. But he did not play in any games during the tournament. Boumsong was also named in the France squad for Euro 2008.
During Euro 2008, Boumsong played in only one game. This was a group match between France and Italy. He came on as a substitute for Samir Nasri. Interestingly, Nasri himself had only entered the game 16 minutes earlier. This happened when he replaced the injured Franck Ribéry. When another player, Eric Abidal, was sent off, the French coach decided to bring on Boumsong. This meant Boumsong was a substitute for a substitute. He is the first player in European Championship history to do this twice.
Coaching Career
After he stopped playing football, Boumsong started working as a TV expert. He was a consultant for the global TV station beIN Sports. On September 5, 2018, it was announced that Boumsong would be an assistant manager. He worked for the Cameroon national football team. He was dismissed from this role in September 2019.
Playing Style
Boumsong was known for his physical strength and speed. He was also good at understanding the game. This helped him predict what other players would do.
Personal Life
Jean-Alain Boumsong became a French citizen on January 16, 2002. His younger brother, Yannick Boumsong, is also a professional football player. Jean-Alain is also the older cousin of another footballer, David Ngog.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Le Havre | 1997–98 | Division 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| 1998–99 | Division 1 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 22 | 1 | |||
| 1999–2000 | Division 1 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 24 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 42 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 47 | 1 | |||
| Auxerre | 2000–01 | Division 1 | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 36 | 0 | |||
| 2001–02 | Division 1 | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 1 | |||||
| 2002–03 | Ligue 1 | 33 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | 41 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 35 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 131 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 | – | 148 | 4 | |||
| Rangers | 2004–05 | Scottish Premier League | 18 | 2 | 6 | 0 | – | 24 | 2 | |||||
| Newcastle United | 2004–05 | Premier League | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 15 | 0 | |||
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 34 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 47 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 49 | 0 | |||||
| Juventus | 2006–07 | Serie B | 33 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 33 | 2 | ||||
| 2007–08 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 33 | 2 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | 36 | 3 | |||||
| Lyon | 2007–08 | Ligue 1 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 13 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | 43 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Ligue 1 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | 29 | 2 | ||
| Total | 59 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | – | 85 | 4 | |||
| Panathinaikos | 2010–11 | Super League Greece | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
| 2011–12 | Super League Greece | 17 | 3 | – | – | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 27 | 5 | |||
| 2012–13 | Super League Greece | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
| Total | 52 | 5 | 2 | 0 | – | 13 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 78 | 7 | |||
| Career total | 382 | 15 | 19 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 43 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 467 | 21 | ||
International Goals
- The score column shows the score after Boumsong's goal. France's score is listed first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 October 2003 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France |  Israel |
3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
Honours and Achievements
Jean-Alain Boumsong won several important titles during his career:
Auxerre
- Coupe de France: 2002–03 (French Cup)
Rangers
- Scottish Premier League: 2004–05 (Top Scottish League)
Juventus
- Serie B: 2006–07 (Italian Second Division)
Lyon
- Ligue 1: 2007–08 (Top French League)
- Coupe de France: 2007–08 (French Cup)
France National Team
- FIFA Confederations Cup: 2003 (International Tournament)
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2006 (Second place in the World Cup)
See also
In Spanish: Jean-Alain Boumsong para niños
