Christopher Samba
Veijeany Christopher Samba is a former professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in France, he played for the Congo national team.
Samba notably played in the Premier League for Blackburn Rovers where he played for five years, notching up 161 league appearances with 16 goals. He also played top flight football in England for Queens Park Rangers with a spell in the EFL Championship with Aston Villa. He also played for Sedan, Hertha BSC, Anzhi Makhachkala, Dynamo Moscow and Panathinaikos.
Club career
Early career
Born in the Parisian suburb of Créteil, Samba began his career with French Ligue 2 club Sedan, having previously played for D’Issy-les-Moulineaux and Rouen. As a result, he left Créteil in his youth to move to Sedan. At one point, Samba played in a striker position before switching to a centre–back position. After progressing through the ranks of the Sedan's Academy, he made his debut for the club in the opening game of the season against FC Istres, starting a match before being sent–off in the 57th minute, in a 2–0 loss. However, after making two more appearances for the side, Samba suffered an adductors injury that kept him out for the rest of the 2003–04 season. His injury cost him his chance of earning his professional contract at Sedan and was released by the club at the end of the 2003–04 season.Hertha BSC
Following his release by Sedan, Samba revealed that he "had lots of trials with clubs during that time, but none of them came off". He also said: "I had no club and I had to train by myself for a long period of time. I was 19 years old. I had to recover from the injury myself without a physio, no money. For six months I did not have a club and I was just training. I went to small teams like Rouen who did not even want to let me train with them." Eventually, Samba was signed by Berlin-based club Hertha BSC of the German Bundesliga after being scouted while on international duty at Congo.Immediately after signing for Hertha BSC, Samba was assigned to Hertha BSC II. After making his Hertha BSC II debut, he then scored his first goal for the reserve side, in a 5–2 win against Preußen Münster on 27 March 2005. Samba later scored two more goals in the 2004–05 season, scoring against Borussia Dortmund II and Wuppertaler SV. At the end of the 2004–05 season, he went on to make sixteen appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2005–06 season, Samba was called up to the first team for the first team and trained with the senior players at the pre–season training camp. He made his first team debut for Hertha BSC, coming on in the 86th minute and played for the rest of the game, as they beat TuS Koblenz in the first round of the DFB Cup. Seven days later on 26 August 2005, Samba made his league debut for the club, coming on as a 70th-minute substitute, in a 3–0 loss against Bayern Munich. Since making his debut for the club, Samba appeared in the first team, mostly coming from the substitute bench. But Samba often returned to play for the Hertha BSC II and scored once in twelve appearances. It was announced on 18 March 2006 that he signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2008. However, as the 2005–06 season progressed, Samba suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for the rest of the season. Despite this, he went on to make twelve appearances for the senior team in all competitions.
In the 2006–07 season, Samba continued to appear in the first team, mostly coming from the substitute bench. However throughout his time at Hertha BSC, he struggled to break into the Hertha first team and desired a move elsewhere in the January transfer window.
Blackburn Rovers
Having desire to move elsewhere, Samba was invited by Mark Hughes to undertake a five-day trial at Blackburn Rovers. He quickly made an impression at the trial that Hughes wanted to sign him. Two days later on 25 January 2007, he completed a transfer to Blackburn Rovers of the Premier League, signing a three-and-a-half-year deal for £450,000 and taking the number 21 shirt.Samba made his Blackburn Rovers debut against Luton Town in the FA Cup Fourth Round as a 69th-minute substitute for Ryan Nelsen, as they won 4–0. Two days later on 31 January 2007, he made his Premiership debut on 31 January against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a 3–0 defeat. Since making his debut for the club, Samba quickly became a first team regular for the side. On 17 March 2007, he scored his first goal for Blackburn Rovers against West Ham United with a header in the 47th minute, coming in the 1–2 defeat at Ewood Park. Samba then scored his second goal for the club in a 3–1 victory over Watford at Ewood Park on 18 April 2007, playing the full 90 minutes with Ryan Nelsen at the centre of defence. Since making his debut for Blackburn Rovers, he quickly became a fan favourite among supporters and was named Newcomer of the Year Awards at the club's award ceremony. At the end of the 2006–07 season, he made 19 appearances, scoring two goals in fourteen Premier League games.
Following Samba's performances in his debut season, Samba established himself as a starter in the 2007–08 season and was given number 4 shirt. At the start of the 2007–08 season, he played in both legs of the third round of the UEFA Intertoto Cup match against FK Vėtra, scoring in the second leg, as they won 6–0 on aggregate. After missing a UEFA Cup against AEL Larissa, Samba returned to the starting line–up against Portsmouth on 23 September 2007, which they lost 1–0. On 22 October 2007, Blackburn announced Samba had signed a new long-term contract keeping him at the club until the summer of 2012. Six days later on 28 October 2007, he scored a last-minute strike to give the club a 2–1 win against Tottenham Hotspur. Since the start of the season, Samba appeared in every league match until he missed two separate matches in December, due to suspension and then was given a compassionate leave. Samba then scored his third goal of the season, in a 2–1 win against Bolton Wanderers on 12 January 2008. He later missed three matches, due to suspension, including his sending off against Wigan Athletic on 16 March 2008 for a tug on Emile Heskey. Despite this, Samba regained his first team place for the rest of the season. At one point during a 2–1 loss against West Ham United, he was involved in altercation with teammate David Dunn after conceding the equalising and the argument carried on in the dressing room at half-time. After the match, Manager Hughes commented about the argument, acknowledging the frustration taking place in a game. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Samba made a total of forty–one appearances and scoring three goals in all competitions.
At the start of the 2008–09 season, Samba continued to form a centre–back partnership with Nelsen. However, during a 4–1 loss against West Ham United on 30 August 2008, he scored an own goal in the 20th minute to give the opposition team a 2–0 lead. Almost a month later on 27 September 2008, Samba was able to make amends when he scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 win against Newcastle United. Since the start of the season, Samba started in every match until he missed out against Middlesbrough on 25 October 2008, due to a concussion. But Samba was able to return to the starting line–up four days later on 29 October 2008, in a 3–2 loss against Aston Villa. Two weeks later on 15 November 2008, he scored his second league goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against Sunderland. Three months later on 15 February 2009, Samba scored his third goal of the season, in a 2–2 draw against Coventry City in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Although recognised predominantly as a defender, Samba made several appearances as a striker in the latter stages of the 2008–09 season. On 4 April 2009, with Blackburn losing 1–0 against Tottenham Hotspur, he started the second half up front. Blackburn went on to win 2–1, with manager Sam Allardyce claiming Samba's impact as "key to victory." During the next league match against Liverpool at Anfield on 11 April, he again started as a lone striker, with natural striker Benni McCarthy left on the bench. Samba continued to play as a striker in the next match against Wigan Athletic in the 2–0 win for Blackburn. For his performance, he was awarded Performance of the Season at the club's award ceremony. By the end of the season, Samba had made thirty–nine appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2009–10 season, Samba was linked a move away from Blackburn Rovers, with clubs around Europe interested in signing him, but both Manager Sam Allardyce and the player, himself, dismissed of him leaving the club. He continued to start the season, regaining his first team place in the centre–back position. Samba scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season against Aston Villa on 26 September 2009. However, he was sidelined on two separate occasions throughout October. Despite this, Samba signed a new five-year contract with the club. Shortly after signing a contract extension, local newspaper The Lancashire Telegraph reported that Samba "must go down as one of the bargains in Premier League history". He then scored on his 100th Premier League start in a 2–0 victory over Fulham at Ewood Park on 17 January 2010. Three days later on 20 January 2010, however, Samba was sent–off in the 39th minute for unprofessional conduct, as Blackburn Rovers lost 6–4 to Aston Villa in the second leg of the League Cup semi–finals. After serving one match suspension, he was sent–off for a second bookable offence, in a 3–0 loss against Stoke City on 6 February 2010. After serving a two match suspension, Samba returned to the starting line–up, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 loss against Liverpool on 28 February 2010. He then netted his third league goal of the 2009–10 season on 13 March 2010 against in a 1–3 defeat to Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Samba featured for the next five matches before suffering an injury and was substituted in the 33rd minute during a 0–0 draw against Manchester United on 11 April 2010. On 3 May 2010, Samba scored the winning goal as Rovers beat Arsenal 2–1 at Ewood Park. He was also picked as captain for the game, despite club captain Ryan Nelsen and vice-captain David Dunn both starting. For his performance, Samba was awarded the Unsung Hero at the club's award ceremony. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Samba went on to make thirty–three appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.
At the start of the 2010–11 season, Samba captained the side in the opening game of the season against Everton and helped them win 1–0. He continued to regain his first team place in the centre–back position. Samba was appointed club captain for the 2010–11 season, with Nelsen moving to vice-captain. During a 1–1 draw against Manchester City on 13 September 2010, his performance earned him a Man of the Match Award for his impressive display after helping the opposition team keep the match a draw, "including last ditch block from Jô's close range effort". Five days later on 18 September 2010, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Fulham. Samba started in every match until he was sent–off in the 45th minute, in a 0–0 draw against Sunderland on 18 October 2010. After serving a one match suspension, Samba returned to the starting line–up, in a 2–1 loss against Chelsea on 30 October 2010. He then scored his second league goal of the season, in a 7–1 loss against Manchester United on 27 November 2010. During a 1–1 draw against West Ham United on 17 December 2010, Samba suffered an injury and was substituted in the 57th minute, leading him to be sidelined for weeks. While on the sidelines, he was stripped of the captaincy by new manager Steve Kean on 26 December after announcing his desire to leave Blackburn. Shortly after, Samba has his captaincy role returned following talks with Manager Kean. Despite having his captaincy role back, he still maintain his desire to leave Blackburn Rovers. Amid the transfer speculation, Samba returned to the starting line–up from injury, in a 3–1 win against Liverpool on 5 January 2011. Samba signed a new four-and-a-half-year deal on 2 February 2011 after the contract talks began the previous month. Three day later on 5 February 2011, he scored his third goal of the season, in a 4–3 loss against Wigan Athletic. After missing a match against Aston Villa on 26 February 2011, due to an illness, Samba then scored his fourth goal of the season a month later on 14 March 2011, in a 2–2 draw against Blackpool. He continued to regain his first team place for the rest of the season despite suffering from injuries along the way. Samba captained Rovers in their 3–2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux in the last Premier League match of the campaign to finish 15th place in the Premier League table and was shown with all the fans on the pitch at the final whistle. At the end of the campaign, he made 36 appearances and scored four goals in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Samba continued to be linked a move away from Blackburn Rovers, but no offers were made for him throughout the summer transfer window and stayed at the club. He previously stated the previous April about leaving Blackburn Rovers in the summer transfer window. However, Samba missed the first two Premier League fixtures, due to a groin injury. He played his first game of the season on 27 August 2011, playing the full 90 minutes alongside Gaël Givet in the 0–1 defeat against Everton at Ewood Park. On 11 September 2011, Samba started alongside debut centre back Scott Dann in a 1–1 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage but played 45 minutes due to a back injury and was substituted as a result. But he recovered and made his return to the starting line–up, playing the whole game alongside Dann in a 4–3 victory over Arsenal at Ewood Park. Since returning, Samba continued to regain his first team place, forming a partnership with Dann and resuming his captaincy role. On 15 October 2011, Samba scored his first goal of 2011–12 season against Queens Park Rangers in a 1–1 draw. He scored his second goal against Norwich City in a 3–3 draw on 29 October 2011. However, during a 1–0 loss against Chelsea on 5 November 2011, Samba suffered a hamstring injury and was substituted at half time, leading him to be sidelined throughout November. On 3 December 2011, he returned to the starting line–up against Swansea City and set up the club's third goal of the game, in a 4–3 win. Samba set up two goals in the next two matches against Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion. Manager Kean felt that Samba has been treated unfairly by referees in a number of matches, due to his physical presence. On 31 December 2011, Samba was part of the squad that recorded a win against Manchester United, defeating Alex Ferguson's side at Old Trafford 2–3. A foul on Samba in the penalty area by Dimitar Berbatov resulted in Blackburn being awarded a penalty which Blackburn scored. By the time he left the club, Samba went on to make seventeen appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
The following, Samba handed in a transfer request following a bid from Queens Park Rangers, which was rejected. On 14 January, Samba missed Blackburn's victory over Fulham, though manager Steve Kean attributed this to a stomach virus. On 17 January 2012, Blackburn turned down Samba's transfer request and issued a statement saying that the Rovers captain was not for sale. The player, himself, issued a statement the previous day, saying, "In my five years at Blackburn Rovers I have always given 100% in every game I have played. I have had several opportunities to leave but I have always stayed. I have decided now is the right time for me to pursue a new challenge and I have asked the club to respect my decision and allow me to leave. I thank the fans for their support and I hope they feel I have served them and their club well." Samba continued issuing a statement to leave the club, citing not "100 per cent for the club" anymore. As a result, he was dropped from the starting line–up and never played for the side again. By the time Samba left the club, he made 185 appearances and scoring 18 times in all competitions. Samba said about his departure, saying: "Blackburn is still in my heart; it was a big part of my life. I am sorry where they are now. It was very difficult, but then Steve Kean was doing quite well in the Championship and they sacked him. Now they have sacked Henning Berg. The main thing: I am sorry for the fans. We had a good identity together, and now they have lost a bit of that identity". Samba also credited both Manager Hughes and Allardyce as the two managers, who played a major role in his football career.