Jean-Alain Boumsong

Jean-Alain Boumsong

File:Jean-alain boumsong.jpg
Personal information
Full name	Jean-Alain Boumsong
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Olympique Lyonnais
Number	4
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 January 2009

Jean-Alain Boumsong (born December 14, 1979, in Douala, Cameroon) is a professional football defender who currently plays for Olympique Lyonnais and the French national team.

Club career

Early career

He started his career with French team Le Havre before joining Auxerre

A long time target for then Liverpool F.C. manager Gérard Houllier, the press speculated that it was only a matter of time before Boumsong signed for Liverpool. However, as Boumsong was a free agent, his agent, the Monaco based Scot Willie McKay negotiated the best sign-on fee to the player for Boumsong from Rangers, based in Glasgow, Scotland.

Rangers

As a result, Boumsong joined Alex McLeish at Rangers in 2004 and signed a five year contract. Boumsong quickly adapted to the Scottish game and showed his skill as a centre half, leading to rumours that his stay in Glasgow may be shorter than expected - many bigger clubs were credited with an interest. Halfway through the 2004–05 season, Newcastle under new manager Graeme Souness, made an £8 million bid for him, which Rangers accepted in a deal that was finalized once the January 2005 transfer window opened.

Newcastle

Boumsong signed a 5½-year contract with the Magpies. However, as Boumsong had played the requisite number of games for Rangers that season, he still received a Scottish Championship Winners Medal, despite having been a Newcastle player for around five months by the time Rangers won the title.

Boumsong's initial performances at Newcastle were promising, but rapidly degenerated after two costly errors in a league game against Manchester United F.C. the following season. Reputedly compounded by personal problems, Boumsong's on-field difficulties multiplied rapidly thereafter, leading many to question his £8 million price tag. By the time of his departure, Boumsong's experience at Newcastle was widely held as exemplifying Newcastle United's extravagance in paying inflated transfer fees for players of limited quality.

The £8 million transfer fee raised eyebrows[1], as the player, being out of contract, had joined Rangers for free just months before- at which point Newcastle showed no interest in signing the player. This transfer is one of those about which the Stevens inquiry report in June 2007 expressed concerns:

“There remains inconsistencies in evidence provided by Graeme Souness - a former manager of the club - and Freddy Shepherd - apparently acting in an undefined role but not as a club official - as to their respective roles in transfer negotiations.”

“The inquiry is still awaiting clarification from agent Willie McKay”.

However the Stevens enquiry later issued two clarifications. It said of Souness, "We wish to make it clear that inconsistencies did not exist within the evidence given by Graeme Souness to Quest concerning his role in transfers covered by the Inquiry during his time as manager of Newcastle United FC and neither the Premier League nor do Quest have any concerns in this regard". As regards McKay it stated: "Further to the key findings from the final Quest report published on 15 June 2007 by the Premier League, Quest would like to emphasise that, in that report, it was clear that no evidence of irregular payments was found in the transfers in the inquiry period which involved the agent Willie McKay. Quest would also like to thank Mr McKay for his cooperation with the inquiry."

Juventus

On August 22, 2006, Boumsong joined the recently Serie B relegated Juventus for a fee of €4.8 million (£3.26 million), with future incentives promised to Newcastle relating to Juventus' future performance. In September 2006 Boumsong scored his first Juventus goal in a game against Crotone where Juventus won 3-0. Valeri Bojinov scored the other two goals. In Boumsoug's final match with Juventus, he scored a key equaliser in their Coppa Italia match against rivals Inter on January 23, 2008.

Lyon

On January 24, 2008, Boumsong moved to French club Olympique Lyonnais on a three-and-a-half year contract. Boumsong has stated he made this move in order to increase his chances to make Raymond Domenech's EURO 2008 squad.

International career

Boumsong made his France debut against Japan on June 20 2003, and went with the squad for Euro 2004, although he only made a brief appearance coming on as a substitute in one game.

He established himself as a regular starter in the national team in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, and was called up to the squad for the 2006 World Cup, but did not see any game action during the competition because of Lillian Thuram's return to the team. Boumsong was also named in the France squad for Euro 2008.

Boumsong appeared on only one game during Euro 2008, when during the group match between France and Italy he substituted Samir Nasri. Nasri himself entered the field only 16 minutes earlier, when he replaced the injured Frank Ribery, however when central defender Eric Abidal was sent off, French coach Raymond Domenech decided to pull off the midfielder Nasri from the field for the defender Boumsong. Interestingly, four years earlier during the Euro 2004, Boumsong has been already sent to the field once as a substitute's substitute, when he replaced William Gallas during a match against Switzerland, thus he is the first player in European Championship history to achieve this feat twice.

Personal life

Boumsong's younger brother, Yannick Boumsong, was once a professional footballer. [2] He is the older cousin of David N'Gog, who plays for Liverpool F.C.

Boumsong has a degree in mathematics.

Boumsong is married to Juliette and has a daughter, Eva, born on December 12, 2007.

Career statistics

Template:Football player statistics 1 Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |1997-98||rowspan="3"|Le Havre||rowspan="3"|Division 1||1||0||||||||||colspan="2"|-|||| |- |1998-99||18||1||||||||||colspan="2"|-|||| |- |1999-00||23||0||||||||||colspan="2"|-|||| |- |2000-01||rowspan="4"|Auxerre||rowspan="2"|Division 1||32||0||||||||||colspan="2"|-|||| |- |2001-02||34||1||||||||||colspan="2"|-|||| |- |2002-03||rowspan="2"|Ligue 1||33||1||||||||||12||0|||| |- |2003-04||32||1||||||||||5||0|||| Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |2004-05||Rangers||Premier League||12||2||||||||||colspan="2"|-|||| Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |2004-05||rowspan="2"|Newcastle United||rowspan="2"|Premier League||14||0||||||||||colspan="2"|-|||| |- |2005-06||33||0||||||||||colspan="2"|-|||| Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |2006-07||Juventus||Serie B||33||2||||||||||colspan="2"|-|||| Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |2007-08||rowspan="2"|Olympique Lyonnais||rowspan="2"|Ligue 1||8||0||||||||||1||0|||| |- |2008-09|||||||||||||||||||| Template:Football player statistics 3181||4||||||||||18||0|||| Template:Football player statistics 412||2||||||||||colspan="2"|-|||| Template:Football player statistics 447||0||||||||||colspan="2"|-|||| Template:Football player statistics 433||2||||||||||colspan="2"|-|||| Template:Football player statistics 5273||8||||||||||18||0|||| |}

Honours

• Coupe Gambardella : 2000 (Le Havre)
• Coupe de France : 2002/2003 (Auxerre), 2007/2008 (Olympique Lyonnais)
• Scottish Premier League : 2004/2005 (Rangers)
• Serie B : 2006/2007 (Juventus)
• Ligue 1 : 2007/2008 (Olympique Lyonnais)