Song: Forget Barcelona, Arsenal is the club for me

What a revelation Alex Song has been this season, fast becoming a favourite with the Emirates faithful and surely one of the first names on the Arsenal team sheet.

But the Cameroon midfielder admits that it was difficult settling into life in England at first, but having married his childhood sweetheart and becoming a father twice, he admits that he is now content, and focused on playing football.

In a recent interview with The News of the World, Song explains how he arrived at Arsenal, meeting the Invincibles and getting that phone call from the boss.

Song said: "[When I was 17, a coach from Bastia phoned me]. He told me Arsène Wenger wanted me to come to Arsenal.

"But I didn't believe him. For me, Arsenal was THE team. Everyone at Bastia wanted to play for Arsenal. Not Barcelona, nor Real Madrid, nor Manchester United.

"To play with Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Robért Píres, Freddie Ljungberg, Patrick Vieira. But when I got the call I thought it was a joke.

"It was only when we arrived at London Colney and I saw the Arsenal training ground that I believed him. Then I met Arsène Wenger. He told me he had seen me play for Bastia and wanted me at Arsenal.

"Then Thierry embraced me and said, in French: 'Welcome to Arsenal.' I couldn't believe it. I was 17. Then Dennis tried to talk to me, but I couldn't speak English.

"I was in awe of them. I went on the pre-seaon tour to Austria and I remember thinking: 'If Arsenal let me go now I will still go home happy.

"When I got back to the hotel on that first day I rung my friends and all they asked was: 'Get Thierry's shirt for me!'

"After the Austria trip I went back to Bastia and didn't hear anything for three weeks. I thought I had done something wrong.

"But then Arsène phoned me and said: 'I want you to come to Arsenal.'"

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