Bastia Song joined the Bastia youth team in
2003–04 and became a part of the first team the following season with 31 appearances. Bastia were playing in
Ligue 1 during the time Song had a stint there. Song was noted for his high versatility While playing for Bastia, he was selected as a part of
France under-16 national team. He later chose to represent Cameroon, his country of birth. He played as a centre-back but later made several appearances as a defensive midfielder. He was highly regarded in this position by numerous coaches and supporters of Bastia. During his time at Bastia, he attracted attention from numerous clubs, including
Internazionale,
Juventus,
Manchester United,
Lyon and
Middlesbrough. Unwilling to sell their prized asset, Bastia agreed to loan him to the Gunners for one season only in 2005. During his time at
Bastia, Song made a total of 32 league appearances.
Arsenal Song impressed Arsenal manager
Arsène Wenger as a trialist during Arsenal's pre-season training camp in Austria, and Arsenal secured his services on loan for the
2005–06 season on 11 August 2005. Arsenal agreed to a £1 million fee in June 2006 and signed him to a four-year contract. Song made his
Premier League debut during Arsenal's 2–0 win against
Everton on 19 September 2005 as a substitute. He played in several
UEFA Champions League matches and made several Premier League starts near the end of the season, when first team players were injured or being rested. Song scored his first goal for Arsenal against
Liverpool in Arsenal's 6–3 win at
Anfield in the
League Cup quarterfinals on 9 January 2007. On 30 January 2007, it was confirmed that
Charlton Athletic had signed Song on loan until the end of the
2006–07 season. Although he impressed, Charlton were relegated and Song returned to Arsenal. Over the
2007–08 season, Song started at centre back for Arsenal's
League Cup matches, but missed their semi-final elimination by
Tottenham Hotspur while away with Cameroon at the
Africa Cup of Nations. He also started at centre-back in Premier League matches towards the end of the season, most notably in Arsenal's crucial visit to
Old Trafford against Manchester United, while regular starter
Kolo Touré filled in for
Bacary Sagna at right-back.
2008–09 season The
2008–09 season was Song's breakthrough year with Arsenal. The then 21-year-old established himself as a key member of Arsène Wenger's squad, making 48 appearances in all competitions. He enjoyed his most productive and eye-catching campaign yet as he emerged as a forte and powerhouse of Arsenal's midfield being the perfect partner for
Cesc Fàbregas in Arsenal's centre. Of the Cameroonian, Wenger remarked, "I brought him here aged 17 and worked very hard with him, we worked hard because I felt he had the talent to become a good player. I know that the opinions are changing about him now." On 21 October 2008, Song scored his first goal in
European competition for Arsenal against
Fenerbahçe in the
UEFA Champions League. Song's first league goal, and third in all competitions for the Gunners, was scored against
Wigan Athletic on 11 April 2009 in which he took on several players and then coolly finished in the bottom corner. Arsenal won the match 4–1.
2009–10 season Song began the season well, playing in all but one of Arsenal's first 12 league games. He was voted third in the Arsenal.com player of the month award for October, behind winner Cesc Fàbregas and runner-up
Robin van Persie. After putting in consistently commanding performances at the heart of midfield, allowing Arsenal's creative attackers to operate effectively, Song established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet. On 25 November 2009, Song signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal, lasting until 2014. On 30 December 2009, he scored his second goal in the league for Arsenal when he completed the scoring in a 4–1 win over
Portsmouth at
Fratton Park.
2010–11 season Song continued to be one of the first names on the team sheet, as he made a superb start to the
2010–11 season, establishing himself in front of the back four. He scored the 1,000th Arsenal Premier League goal under Arsène Wenger in a 4–1 win against
Bolton Wanderers on 11 September 2010. On the downside, the following game he was sent off for two bookable offences. The strong midfielder has become a more adventurous element in the Arsenal midfield, helping the forward line with his movement. On 28 August 2010, Song completed the full 90 minutes in the game against
Blackburn Rovers in a 2–1 win at
Ewood Park. On 19 October 2010, he scored the first goal of the match for Arsenal against the Ukrainian side
Shakhtar Donetsk in a 5–1 win for Arsenal. On 24 October 2010, Song scored his third goal of the season, the second goal at
Eastlands against
Manchester City in a 3–0 Arsenal victory. On 30 October 2010, he scored a vital 88th minute diving header for Arsenal from a cross by
Gaël Clichy at the
Emirates Stadium against
West Ham United in the league, leading to an important 1–0 victory for Arsenal. On 27 December 2010, Song scored the first goal in a 3–1 victory over
Chelsea at the Emirates. In February 2011, Song had his car impounded by
Hertfordshire Police after he was caught speeding and failed to provide relevant documentation. During the 2010–11 season, he made 42 appearances in total, scored five goals and contributed three assists in all competitions for the Gunners.
2011–12 season With the departure of Cesc Fàbregas to
Barcelona, Song was assigned to provide the assists for the club alongside
Aaron Ramsey. During a league match at
Newcastle United, Song stamped on
Joey Barton, resulting in him being charged with improper conduct and given a three-match ban. On 24 September 2011, Song scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 home victory against Bolton. He provided an assist to Robin van Persie following a dribble for the first goal in a
Champions League match against
Borussia Dortmund on 23 November to secure a place for Arsenal in the last 16. Wenger said in November: I thought about that Fulham game recently, It shows that players need to be given time and confidence. Unfortunately at the big clubs you cannot always do it. He is one of the players who surprised everybody. You wouldn't expect what he delivers at the moment. Song again assisted Van Persie – who scored a volley – during a match against Everton which also proved to be the only goal as the 125th anniversary game ended 1–0 to Arsenal. Song also showed his assisting skills in the following matches: in an
FA Cup match against
Leeds United, Song played a through ball past four Leeds players to the returning legend,
Thierry Henry. The game ended 1–0, sending Arsenal into the fourth round of the FA Cup. He then provided two assists in back to back matches against Tottenham at home for
Theo Walcott and also the winning goal for Van Persie against Liverpool at Anfield with a delightful long-ball in the dying minutes of the match. The matches ended in 5–2 and 2–1 victories respectively, highlighting the importance of Song's presence in the team not only as an anchorman in the middle but as a playmaking midfielder. Song played an overhead pass to Theo Walcott and claimed an assist against
Aston Villa on 24 March 2012. Arsenal went on to win the game 3–0. His partnership with striker Van Persie was enhanced in a match on 5 May 2012 as he performed his seemingly trademark chip to assist the Dutchman in netting the equaliser against
Norwich City. The game ended 3–3 and it was his 12th assist of the season. He was voted in second place as the Arsenal player of the season by the fans.
Barcelona On 20 August 2012, Song signed a five-year contract with Barcelona for a £15 million transfer fee. He made his Barcelona debut against
Real Madrid in the
2012 Supercopa de España on 29 August 2012 as a substitute for the last 15 minutes, finishing the match with a perfect passing statistic. He played 20 matches in Barcelona's
La Liga-winning campaign in his first season, and scored one goal, in a 3–1 home win against
Real Zaragoza on 17 November 2012. Song was an unused substitute in the
2014 Copa del Rey Final, which Barcelona lost 2–1 to Real Madrid at the
Mestalla Stadium.
West Ham United on loan On 30 August 2014, Song joined West Ham United on a
season-long loan. He was unveiled to the fans on the same day before their home game against
Southampton. Song made his debut against
Hull City as a second-half substitute on 15 September 2014 in a 2–2 draw. He played 31 games for West Ham including three in the FA Cup. Praised for his early season form, his performances deteriorated towards the end of the season as West Ham's form also slumped. In August 2015, West Ham co-chairman
David Sullivan, announced an agreement with Barcelona to sign Song on a three-year permanent contract subject to a medical. His
season-long loan to West Ham was confirmed on 1 September with West Ham having the option to extend the loan for a further season.
Rubin Kazan On 21 July 2016,
Rubin Kazan reached an agreement to sign Song from Barcelona, subject to a medical. On 1 August 2016, Song officially joined the Russian side on a free transfer after his contract with Barcelona had been terminated. In January 2018, Song trained with his old club
Arsenal after being allowed to find a new club by Rubin, but was still registered with Rubin when the
Russian Premier League continued on 2 March 2018 after their winter break. He was removed from their league registration list on 13 March 2018. It was reported on 2 April 2018 that Rubin sent a complaint to the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber, demanding 40 million euros from Song for breach of contract.
Sion Song signed with
Swiss Super League club
Sion on a free transfer on 14 August 2018. In March 2020, Song was one of nine players sacked by Sion for refusing to take a pay cut during the
coronavirus pandemic.
Arta/Solar7 In November 2020, Song joined Djiboutian club
Arta/Solar7 on a permanent deal. On Tuesday 14 November 2023, Song announced his retirement from professional football after making 332 senior club and 49 senior international appearances. ==International career==