View source for Franck Songo'o

{{short description|Cameroonian footballer (born 1987)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Franck Songo'o
| image = 
| caption = 
| full_name = Franck Steve Bangweni Songo'o<ref>{{cite web |url=https://agendaesportiva.terra.com.br/olimpiadas/2008/atletas/ficha/atleta_15294.html |title=Franck Steve Bangweni Songo'o |website=Agenda Esportiva |publisher=Terra Networks Brasil |access-date=23 March 2025 |language=pt}}</ref>
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|5|14|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Yaoundé]], Cameroon
| height = 1.78 m
| position = [[Midfielder#Winger|Winger]]
| currentclub = 
| youthyears1 = –2002 |youthclubs1 = [[Deportivo de La Coruña|Deportivo La Coruña]]
| youthyears2= 2002–2005 |youthclubs2 = [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]]
| years1 = 2005 |clubs1 = [[FC Barcelona C|Barcelona C]] |caps1 = 1 | goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2005–2008 |clubs2 = [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] |caps2 = 3 | goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2006 |clubs3 = → [[AFC Bournemouth|Bournemouth]] (loan) |caps3 = 4 | goals3 = 0
| years4 = 2007 |clubs4 = → [[Preston North End F.C.|Preston North End]] (loan) |caps4 = 6 | goals4 = 0
| years5 = 2007 |clubs5 = → [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]] (loan) |caps5 = 9 | goals5 = 0
| years6 = 2008 |clubs6 = → [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]] (loan) |caps6 = 12 | goals6 = 1
| years7 = 2008–2010 |clubs7 = [[Real Zaragoza|Zaragoza]] |caps7 = 31 | goals7 = 1
| years8 = 2010 |clubs8 = → [[Real Sociedad]] (loan) |caps8 = 8 | goals8 = 0
| years9 = 2010–2011 |clubs9 = [[Albacete Balompié|Albacete]] |caps9 = 6 | goals9 = 0
| years10 = 2012 |clubs10 = [[Portland Timbers]] |caps10 = 27 | goals10 = 1
| years11 = 2013–2014 |clubs11 = [[Glyfada F.C.|Glyfada]] |caps11 = 10 | goals11 = 0
| years12 = 2014 |clubs12 = [[PAS Giannina]] |caps12 = 4 | goals12 = 0
| totalcaps = 121 | totalgoals = 3
| nationalyears1 = 2006 |nationalteam1 = [[France national football team|France U19]] |nationalcaps1 = 2 |nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2008 |nationalteam2 = [[Cameroon national football team|Cameroon U23]] |nationalcaps2 = 4 |nationalgoals2 = 0
| nationalyears3 = 2008–2012 |nationalteam3 = [[Cameroon national football team|Cameroon]] |nationalcaps3 = 3 |nationalgoals3 = 0
}}
'''Franck Steve Bangweni Songo'o''' (born 14 May 1987) is a Cameroonian former professional [[Association football|footballer]] who played as either a [[Forward (association football)|forward]] or [[midfielder]]. His senior career had been spent primarily in the [[English football league system|English]] and [[Spanish football league system|Spanish]] football league systems, and has also been [[Cap (sport)|cap]]ped for the [[Cameroon national football team|Cameroon national team]].

==Club career==
===Early career===
Born in the Cameroonian capital, [[Yaoundé]], Songo'o began his youth footballing career at Spanish club [[Deportivo de La Coruña]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Nelson|first=Mark|title=Midfielder Songo'o brings myriad experiences to Portland|url=http://www.portlandtimbers.com/news/2012/02/midfielder-songoo-brings-myriad-experiences-portland|publisher=Portland Timbers|access-date=22 February 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217223818/http://www.portlandtimbers.com/news/2012/02/midfielder-songoo-brings-myriad-experiences-portland|archive-date=17 February 2012}}</ref> Franck's father, [[Jacques Songo'o|Jacques]], played for Deportivo's senior club and was part of the squad that won the [[1999–2000 La Liga]] championship. At Deportivo, Franck was spotted by Spanish club [[FC Barcelona]]. He spent several years at Barcelona's youth facility centre, [[La Masia]], alongside future stars [[Lionel Messi]], [[Cesc Fàbregas]], and [[Gerard Piqué]]. Although Songo'o did not make an immediate impact on Barça's first team, he impressed other clubs, drawing interest from the [[Premier League]].

===Portsmouth===
On 31 August 2005, Songo'o signed for [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] for a fee of £250,000. He made two appearances for Portsmouth in the 2005–2006 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/players/profile.career-history.html/franck-songoo|work=Premier League player profile|publisher=Premierleague.com|title=Player Profile-Franck Songo'o|access-date=16 February 2012}}</ref> After several loan spells, on 13 January 2008, he made his third and final [[Premier League]] appearance for Portsmouth as a second-half substitute for [[Arnold Mvuemba]] against [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] while a number of Portsmouth's first eleven were away at the [[2008 Africa Cup of Nations|African Cup of Nations]] in Ghana. He was then loaned out again to [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]] and left England at the end of the season.

====Loan spells====
On 20 October 2006, Songo'o joined League 1 side [[AFC Bournemouth|Bournemouth]] on a one-month loan<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/bournemouth/6071340.stm Bournemouth net Portsmouth winger]</ref> but failed to make an impact. 
On 8 March 2007, he signed with Championship club [[Preston North End F.C.|Preston North End]] on loan until the end of the season.<ref>[http://www.lep.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=2107458&SectionID=75 North End sign Portsmouth winger] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080110165003/http://www.lep.co.uk/viewarticle.aspx?ArticleID=2107458 |date=10 January 2008 }}</ref>

He became [[Neil Warnock]]'s first signing at [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]] at the end of October 2007, returning to Portsmouth in the new year.

On 7 March 2008, Songo'o joined Championship side [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]] on an initial one-month loan deal from his parent club. Whilst making his debut for Sheffield Wednesday he showed his wealth of trickery as he performed the [[rainbow kick]] skill to bypass two [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|QPR]] defenders in the last minute of the game. He scored his first goal in English football for Wednesday, scoring a late equaliser against [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]].<ref>{{cite web 
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/7309412.stm |title=Sheff Wed 1-1 Stoke |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=29 March 2008 |access-date=12 January 2010}}</ref>

===Spain===
In the summer of 2008, Songo'o joined Spanish side [[Real Zaragoza]], where he was given the number 11 shirt. Zaragoza played well in the [[2008–09 Segunda División]] and were [[relegation and promotion|promoted]] to [[La Liga]]. Songo'o played limited minutes for Zaragoza in the top flight and was loaned to Segunda División side [[Real Sociedad]].

On 6 September 2010, Zaragoza terminated Songo'o's contract. He then signed for another Segunda División club, [[Albacete Balompié|Albacete]].<ref name="jugador del Alba">[http://www.albacetebalompie.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=776:songoo-nuevo-jugador-del-alba&catid=43:ultimas-noticias&Itemid=117 Songo'o, nuevo jugador del Alba] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815164609/http://www.albacetebalompie.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=776:songoo-nuevo-jugador-del-alba&catid=43:ultimas-noticias&Itemid=117 |date=15 August 2011 }} {{in lang|es}}</ref> Songo'o only made six first-team appearances for Albacete, and when the club was relegated at the end of the 2011 season, he was released.

===Portland Timbers===
In January and February 2012, Songo'o practiced and played as a trialist with the [[Portland Timbers]] of [[Major League Soccer]].<ref name="Oregon Live">[http://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/index.ssf/2012/02/newcomer_tries_to_earn_spot_on.html Newcomer Franck Songo'o Tries to Earn a Spot on the Timbers Roster]</ref> After assisting on four goals in four preseason games, Songo'o was signed to a contract by the Timbers on 16 February 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Timbers sign midfielder Franck Songo'o|url=http://www.portlandtimbers.com/news/2012/02/timbers-sign-midfielder-franck-songoo|publisher=Portland Timbers|access-date=16 February 2012|date=16 February 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217221127/http://www.portlandtimbers.com/news/2012/02/timbers-sign-midfielder-franck-songoo|archive-date=17 February 2012}}</ref> Songo'o was waived by Portland on 27 February 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Timbers waive midfielder Franck Songo'o, defender Chris Taylor|url=http://www.portlandtimbers.com/news/2013/02/timbers-waive-midfielder-franck-songoo-defender-chris-taylor|publisher=Portland Timbers|access-date=2 March 2013|date=27 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302154124/http://www.portlandtimbers.com/news/2013/02/timbers-waive-midfielder-franck-songoo-defender-chris-taylor|archive-date=2 March 2013}}</ref>

===Greece===
After a short spell with [[Glyfada F.C.|Glyfada]] in the [[Football League (Greece)|Football League South]], Songo'o signed for [[Superleague Greece|Superleague]] outfit [[PAS Giannina F.C.|PAS Giannina]] on 1 January 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pasgiannina.gr/articles/o_dietnes_kamerounezos_franck_steve_songo_o_ston_pas_giannina|title=Ο διεθνής Καμερουνέζος Franck Steve Songo'o, στον ΠΑΣ ΓΙΑΝΝΙΝΑ.|date=31 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102124020/http://www.pasgiannina.gr/articles/o_dietnes_kamerounezos_franck_steve_songo_o_ston_pas_giannina|archive-date=2 January 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==International career==
===France U-19===
Although he was born in Cameroon, he has represented the French under-19 international team.

===Cameroon national team===
In 2008 Songo'o applied to [[FIFA]] for a change in nationality to allow him to play in the 2008 [[2008 Summer Olympics|Beijing Olympics]]. The request was granted, and Songo'o was named in the Cameroon national squad for the games. He earned his first cap for [[Cameroon national football team|Cameroon]] in the [[2010 FIFA World Cup qualification|2010 World Cup Qualifiers]] match against [[Cape Verde national football team|Cape Verde]] on 6 September 2008.

In November 2012, Songo'o was called up for the first time in four years. He came on as a second-half substitute in a friendly against [[Albania national football team|Albania]] on 14 November 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=Doyle|first=Matthew|title=Int'l Roundup: Dike capped for Nigeria; Spain rout Panama|url=http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/11/15/intl-roundup-dike-capped-nigeria-spain-rout-panama|publisher=MLS soccer|access-date=15 November 2012|archive-date=7 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407095142/http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/11/15/intl-roundup-dike-capped-nigeria-spain-rout-panama|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Personal life==
The Songo'o family has raised many footballers. Franck is the son of former [[Cameroon national football team|Cameroonian national team]] goalkeeper [[Jacques Songo'o]], who featured for Spanish side [[Deportivo La Coruña]] in the late 1990s and early 2000s. His brother, [[Yann Songo'o]], was formerly on the books of [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]]. Near the end of his playing career it was reported that Franck Songo'o was becoming involved with several businesses in [[A Coruña]] owned by his father.<ref>{{cite web|title=El ex deportivista Songo´o pone sus negocios en manos de su hijo|url=http://galicia.economiadigital.es/directivos-y-empresas/el-ex-deportivista-songo-o-pone-sus-negocios-en-manos-de-su-hijo_356631_102.html|website=ED Galicia|publisher=[[Economía Digital]]|access-date=19 July 2017|language=es|date=7 January 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{BDFutbol}}
* {{Soccerbase}}

{{Cameroon Squad 2008 Summer Olympics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Songo'o, Franck}}
[[Category:1987 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Footballers from Yaoundé]]
[[Category:Cameroonian men's footballers]]
[[Category:French men's footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:Premier League players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:Portsmouth F.C. players]]
[[Category:AFC Bournemouth players]]
[[Category:Preston North End F.C. players]]
[[Category:Crystal Palace F.C. players]]
[[Category:Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players]]
[[Category:La Liga players]]
[[Category:Segunda División players]]
[[Category:Tercera División players]]
[[Category:FC Barcelona C players]]
[[Category:Real Zaragoza players]]
[[Category:Real Sociedad footballers]]
[[Category:Albacete Balompié players]]
[[Category:Major League Soccer players]]
[[Category:Portland Timbers players]]
[[Category:PAS Giannina F.C. players]]
[[Category:France men's youth international footballers]]
[[Category:Cameroon men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Olympic footballers for Cameroon]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Cameroonian expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:French expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Greece]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Spain]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States]]
[[Category:Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in the United States]]
[[Category:Naturalized citizens of France]]
[[Category:French sportspeople of Cameroonian descent]]
[[Category:21st-century Cameroonian sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century French sportsmen]]