Sébastien Bassong
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Sébastien Aymar Bassong Nguena (born 9 July 1986) is a former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a defender. Born in France, he opted to play for the Cameroon national team.


Club career


Metz

Born in Paris, France,
Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
signed Bassong out of the Clairefontaine academy. After progressing through the ranks of the FC Metz's youth team, he was promoted to the reserve side for the 2004–05 season. In the 2005–06 season, Bassong was promoted to the first team and made his professional debut for FC Metz, starting the whole game, in a 0–0 draw against
Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
on 23 August 2005, keeping a clean sheet in a process. Following his debut, Bassong soon received a handful of first team appearances for the side throughout the 2005–06 season. In his first professional season at FC Metz, Bassong went on to make twenty–four appearances in all competitions. At the end of the 2005–06 season, he was offered his first professional contract, which he signed a three–year contract. The 2006–07 season saw Bassong becoming a first team regular for FC Metz, establishing himself in the defensive position. He said that he progressed in the first team, as the season progressed. Since the start of the 2006–07 season, Bassong started in every match until he missed one match, due to international commitment. After his return to the starting lineup, he helped the side keep five clean sheets between 30 March 2007 and 27 April 2007. During the encounter, Bassong helped the side beat
Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
2–0 on 20 April 2007 to secure their place in
Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
next season after being relegated in the previous season. On 18 May 2007, Bassong scored his first professional goal for the side, in a 2–1 loss against Strasbourg. At the end of the 2006–07 season, he went on to make thirty–eight appearances and scoring once in all competitions. In the 2007–08 season, with the club playing in Ligue 1, Bassong, however, was sidelined at the start of the season, due to hamstring he sustained in the pre–season. It wasn't until on 15 September 2007 when he returned to the starting up for the side, in a 5–1 loss against
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
. Halfway through the 2007–08 season, Bassong was soon sidelined with suspension and another injury. At the end of the 2007–08 season, which saw FC Metz relegated once again, Bassong went on to make twenty–four appearances in all competitions. During his three years spell at FC Metz, Bassong played seventy–nine times and scoring once, in the French second tier.


Newcastle United

In July 2008, Bassong was offered a one-week
trial In law, a trial is a coming together of Party (law), parties to a :wikt:dispute, dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence (law), evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to Adjudication, adjudicate claims or d ...
with
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
and made his debut in a pre-season friendly against
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
. On 30 July, it was confirmed that Newcastle had agreed a fee of £500,000 with Metz for Bassong. Bassong made his professional debut for Newcastle on 26 August 2008 in a
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
game away to
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
, before playing his first league game for Newcastle away to
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
five days later when he came on as a substitute for
José Enrique José Enrique is a Spanish given name. It may refer to: *José Enrique (footballer) (born 1986), Spanish footballer * José Enrique Angulo (born 1995), Ecuadorian footballer *José Enrique Arrarás (born 1937), Puerto Rican politician * José Enriq ...
. Since joining the club, Bassong began to receive a handful of first team appearances for the side, playing in the left–back position. Despite the club's struggles in the league, his performance was praised by Manager
Joe Kinnear Joseph Patrick Kinnear (born 27 December 1946) is an Irish former football manager and player. Kinnear played as a defender, spending the majority of his career—ten seasons—with Tottenham Hotspur. With Tottenham he won the FA Cup, the EFL ...
. Following the return of José Enrique, Bassong moved to playing in the centre–back position. However, he received his first red card for the club away to
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...
on 26 December 2008. Following his return from suspension, Bassong continued to regain his first team place for the side despite suffering from groin injury and then was sent–off once again on 16 May 2009 as part of 0–1 home defeat to
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
in the penultimate game of the season. In his first season at Newcastle United, Bassong went on to make thirty–four appearances in all competitions. At the end of the season, Bassong was named the Newcastle Player of the Season for 2008–09. He was considered by the club's supporters as the best signing this season. Following Newcastle's relegation to the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
, Bassong expressed his desire to leave the club, with
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
, Arsenal and
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
linked with him. But the club was keen on selling him for £15 million. In July 2009, Bassong said he wanted to leave the club, which he later cited "shambolic political situation at the club, with no manager or owner in place and pre-season well under way". The following month, Bassong was fined by Newcastle United for not traveling with the squad during the club's pre–season tour.


Tottenham Hotspur

On 6 August 2009, it was confirmed he had passed a medical at Spurs signing a five-year deal and completed an £8 million move to the
North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...
club that same day. Newcastle United previously rejected a £10 million from Tottenham Hotspur for him. Bassong scored on his debut for Tottenham in a 2–1 victory over
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, heading in the winner from a free kick cross from teammate
Luka Modrić Luka Modrić (; born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the Croatia national team. He plays mainly as a central midfielder, but can also play as an attack ...
in the 59th minute. During a 3–0 loss against
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
on 22 September 2009, he suffered a concussion "after falling awkwardly in a collision with
Nicolas Anelka Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (; born 14 March 1979) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and retired Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. As a player, he regularly fe ...
" and had to be substituted. But Bassong was given an "all clear", allowing him to return to the starting lineup for the side. He started in every match since the start of the season, due to the absent of
Jonathan Woodgate Jonathan Simon Woodgate (born 22 January 1980) is an English football manager and former player who is currently the First Team Coach at EFL Championship club, Middlesbrough. Woodgate began his career at Middlesbrough but moved to Leeds United ...
and
Ledley King Ledley Brenton King (born 12 October 1980) is a former player who was a one-club man, spending his entire career at Tottenham Hotspur and playing 323 competitive matches for the club from 1999 to 2012. He is currently a club ambassador for Tot ...
until he missed one match in early–November after suffering from a hamstring injury. Since returning to the first team from a hamstring injury, Bassong continued to fight for his first team place, as he was featured in and out of the club's starting lineup. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Bassong went on to make thirty–eight appearances and scoring once in all competitions. At the start of Tottenham's
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
Champions League campaign, Bassong scored Spurs' first goal in a 3–2 losing effort to Swiss club Young Boys. However, he failed to start or make the bench for the second leg in which Spurs won 4–0 (6–3 on aggregate), sending Tottenham into the Champions League group stages. During a 4–1 loss against
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
,
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
on 22 September 2010, Bassong fouled
Samir Nasri Samir Nasri (born 26 June 1987) is a French former professional footballer. He primarily played as an attacking midfielder and a winger, although he had also been deployed in central midfield. Nasri was known for his dribbling, ball control ...
in the penalty box, which Nasri, himself, converted the penalty successfully; and after the match, he said about the foul: "I touched his chest but I did not grab him. He went down too easily. He told me afterwards that I just barely touched him." However, Bassong found himself behind the pecking order in the centre–backs and found himself in the substitute bench and cover role throughout the season. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Bassong only made 12 league appearances during the season with one league goal away at
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
on 4 December 2010. Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Bassong expressed his desire to leave Tottenham Hotspur, citing lack of first team opportunities at the club. Throughout the summer transfer window, he was linked a move to
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
and
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
, but ultimately stayed at Tottenham Hotspur. However, he continued to remain behind the pecking order in the centre–backs. Despite this, Bassong captained the side for the first time in the UEFA Europa League against
Rubin Kazan FC Rubin Kazan (russian: Футбо́льный клуб Руби́н Каза́нь, ''Futbolny klub Rubin Kazan'' , Tatar: Рубин Казан) is a Russian professional football club based in the city of Kazan. They play in the second-tier ...
on 21 October 2011; and helped the side win 1–0. In the next encounter against Rubin Kazan on 3 November 2011, however, he was at fault for giving away a free kick, leading to a goal from the opposition team, as Tottenham Hotspur lost 1–0. By the time he departed to Wolverhampton Wanderers for the rest of the 2011–12 season, Bassong made thirteen appearances for Tottenham Hotspur this season.


Loan spell at Wolves

On 31 January 2012, Bassong joined fellow
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
side
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season. Upon joining Wolverhampton Wanderers, he said he joined the club because of first team football. Four days later, he made his debut for Wolves, playing the full 90 minutes in the 2–1 win against QPR. After suffering a hamstring injury, he returned to the starting lineup and featured in a number of matches in the first team until his sending off in the early first–half, in a 3–0 loss against
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. However, his loan spell with Wolves did not prevent the club from being relegated after a 2–0 home loss to Manchester City. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Bassong made nine appearances for the side and returned to his parent club.


Norwich City

On 21 August 2012, Bassong signed with
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
for an undisclosed fee. This deal linked him back up with
Chris Hughton Christopher William Gerard Hughton (born 11 December 1958) is a professional football manager and former player. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland national team. After making his professional debut aged 20, Hughton spen ...
who he worked under at Newcastle. Bassong made his Canaries debut against
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
in a 1–1 draw at
Carrow Road Carrow Road is an association football stadium located in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and is the home of EFL Championship side Norwich City. The stadium is located toward the east of the city, near Norwich railway station and the River Wensum. N ...
. Since making his Norwich City, he quickly became a first team regular for the side, establishing himself in the centre–back position. He started in the first four league matches until he suffered an injury against
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
in early minutes of the first half, as Norwich City lost 1–0. It wasn't until on 6 October 2012 when he returned to the first team, in a 4–1 loss against
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. At the beginning of November, Bassong helped the side keep three clean sheets, winning two out of the three matches. In a follow–up match, Bassong scored his first goal for Norwich, a 90th-minute equaliser away at Everton. During the match, he was subjected of racist abuse from Everton supporters, leading Norwich City to report the abuse to the police. At the beginning of December, he scored again to help Norwich get three points and a 2–1 win against
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
. He scored his third goal for Norwich City at
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
on 8 December 2012. For his performance, Bassong was named
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
’ Team of the Week. During the match, he was, again, subjected of racist abuse from Swansea City supporters, leading Norwich City to report the abuse to the police for the second time and investigated four separate incidents of actual or alleged racist abuse, resulting in the police making an arrest. In May 2013, charges against a Swansea City supporter was dropped. Despite suffering from injuries later in the season, Bassong continued to feature in the first team for the rest of the season. At the end of the 2012–13 season, he finished his first season, making thirty–five appearances and scoring three times in all competitions. On 17 May 2013, Bassong was named Norwich City's Player of the Season for 2012–13, winning the Barry Butler Memorial Trophy. In doing so, he became the first player from outside the British Isles to win the prestigious award. Ahead of the 2013–14 season, Bassong was named as the club's team captain on 10 August 2013 following the departure of
Grant Holt Grant Holt (born 12 April 1981) is an English former professional footballer who is currently a scout at West Ham United. During his football career, Holt played for a number of non-league and professional clubs, making nearly 100 league appeara ...
. However, Bassong missed the start of the
2013–14 Premier League The 2013–14 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 22nd season of the Premier League, the top-flight English professional league for men's football clubs, and the 115th season of top-flight Eng ...
season after suffering an injury just before the start of pre-season. He played in developmental games and a
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
fixture against
Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
to get back to match fitness. On 31 August 2013, he returned against
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and helped the team keep a clean sheet as they beat the Saints 1–0. Since returning to the first team from injury, Bassong regained his first team place, establishing himself in the centre–back position. However, against
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
on 2 November 2013, he was the captain in the match that saw Norwich City lost 7–0, leading him to be dropped to the bench for the next match. Bassong then returned to the starting lineup for Norwich City, without the captaincy, where he helped the side beat
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building * ...
1–0 on 30 November 2013. On 12 December 2013, he signed a new contract with the club, keeping him until 2016. Three days after that, Bassong returned as the club's captain against
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
, where he made a mistake that led to
Nathan Dyer Nathan Antony Jonah Dyer (born 29 November 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger, spending most of his career at Swansea City, where he made over 300 appearances. He started playing as a teenager at Southamp ...
, as the game finished 1–1. Later in the 2013–14 season, his performance in number of matches was soon a subject of criticism from the club's supporters and pundits. As a result, he was dropped from the first team for the rest of the season. However, Norwich were relegated that season along with
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
and
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
. This was his third relegation from the Premier League with a third different club. At the end of the 2013–14 season, Bassong made thirty appearances in all competitions. Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Bassong was challenged by new Manager Neil Adams to fight for his first team place. Bassong switched number shirt to thirty. However, at the start of the 2014–15 season, he fell out of favour in the first team by Manager Neil Adams. After his loan spell at Watford came to an end, Bassong was given a chance to return to the first team by Manager Alex Neil. It wasn't until on 30 January 2015 when he returned to the first team, keeping a clean sheet, in a 0–0 draw against
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
. Bassong then started in a match against Watford on 21 February 2015, the team he was loaned during the season, in a 3–0 win. Since returning to Norwich City, he quickly regained his first team place for the side for the rest of the season. His performance was praised since returning from a loan spell at Watford and played a role that saw Norwich City qualify for the play-offs in the Championship. He started the whole game in the Championship play-off Final against
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...
, as Norwich City beat them 2–0 to secure promotion to play in
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
football next season. Reflecting to the 2014–15 season, he praised Manager Neil for giving him a first team chance since returning. At the end of the 2014–15 season, Bassong made thirty–two appearances in all competitions. Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Bassong was given a number six shirt for the side. He also signed a contract extension, keeping him until 2017. Since the start of the 2015–16 season, Bassong continued to regain his first team place for the side, establishing himself in the centre–back position. Having received first team football under the management of Alex Neil since the start of the 2015–16 season, Bassong credited him for putting his football career back on track. Between 28 December 2015 and 2 January 2016, he helped the side keep two clean sheets in two matches. On 23 January 2016, Bassong scored his first goal for the club in over three years, in a 5–4 against
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
. Since the start of the 2015–16 season, he started in every match for the side until he suffered a fitness concern. Following his return, Bassong spent the rest of the 2015–16 season, competing in the centre–back position with
Timm Klose Timm Klose (born 9 May 1988) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a centre back, most recently for Championship club Bristol City and the Switzerland national team. Born in Frankfurt to a German father and Swiss mother, he was raised ...
and Ryan Bennett that saw him on the substitute bench. Once again, Norwich City was relegated to Football League Championship for the second time in two years; which Bassong making history by suffering six relegations in a decade. Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Bassong was expected to leave the club, as he had one year left to his contract. At the start of the 2016–17 season, he found himself in the substitute bench and found his playing time reduced. His first appearance of the 2016–17 season came on 23 August 2016, starting the whole game, in a 6–1 win over
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
in the second round of the EFL Cup. A month later, on 20 September 2016, he captained the side for the first time this season against Everton, as they won 2–0. Between mid–November and late–December, Bassong had a run of first team football, playing in the centre–back position. At the end of the 2016–17 season, he made thirteen appearances in all competitions. On 2 May 2017, Bassong was among seven players to be released by Norwich City following their 2016–17 Championship season. During his time at Norwich City, he became the club's fan favourite, due to his "strong, quick, a great organiser".


Loan spell at Watford

In the summer, Bassong was loaned to Championship rivals,
Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
, along with notable signing
Odion Ighalo Odion Jude Ighalo (born 16 June 1989) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Saudi Professional League club Al Hilal and the Nigeria national team. After starting his career at Nigerian clubs Prime and Julius Berg ...
. Bassong made his Watford debut, starting the whole game, in a 3–0 win over
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
on 18 October 2014. Since making his debut, he quickly received a run of first team football, which saw him make eleven appearances for the side. Although he suffered two injuries while at Watford, Bassong returned to Norwich in the January window. After his loan spell at Watford came to an end, Bassong went on to receive both medals at Watford and Norwich City following their promotions.


Peterborough United

After being released by Norwich City, Bassong spent the 2017–18 season as a free agent, having been training and linked with a move to
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
and
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
. On 25 October 2018, Bassong signed a short-term deal at
League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
after spending 18 months as a free agent. Bassong made his Peterborough United debut, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 win over
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
in the EFL Trophy campaign. However, this turns out to be his only appearance for the club, as he struggled to overcome his knee injury, as well as, facing competition. It was announced on 11 January 2019 that Bassong was expected to leave Peterborough United by the end of January.


Volos FC

It was announced on 24 July 2019 that
Volos Volos ( el, Βόλος ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the sixth most populous city of Greece, and the capital of the Magnesia regional unit ...
signed Bassong on a one–year contract. Upon joining the club, he was given the number four shirt. Bassong made his Volos debut, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 win against
Panionios Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan- Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis'') ...
in the opening game of the season. However, his time at the club was plagued with injuries before being released by Volos in December. By the time he left Volos, Bassong made a total of three appearances for the side. In September 2020, he featured in a pre-season friendly for
Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...
side Haringey Borough.


International career


France U21

Bassong played as a defensive midfielder for the France under-21 national team, playing in two matches against the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in the summer of 2007 before joining Newcastle.


Cameroon

Bassong stated in an interview that if he was called up to the Cameroon squad, he would accept the offer. He is eligible for Cameroon due to not having played in a competitive under-21 match for France. On 25 May 2009, he was called up by the Cameroon national team for their
2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
qualifier In linguistics, a modifier is an optional element in phrase structure or clause structure which ''modifies'' the meaning of another element in the structure. For instance, the adjective "red" acts as a modifier in the noun phrase "red ball", provi ...
against
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
and made his debut for the national side on 12 August in a 2–0 away win to
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. Bassong was selected for the 2010 World Cup squad in South Africa alongside his former Tottenham teammate
Benoît Assou-Ekotto Benoît Pierre David Assou-Ekotto (born 24 March 1984) is a former professional footballer who played as a left back. Born in France, he represented the Cameroon national team. Assou-Ekotto began his career at Lens and in 2006 was signed by T ...
. He regularly wears the number 5 jersey internationally for Cameroon. He played two times in the World Cup tournament, as Cameroon were eliminated in the Group Stage. After the end of the tournament, Bassong made three more appearances by the end of 2010. After almost a two years absent, Bassong was called up to the national side, appearing as an unused substitute against
Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
on 23 March 2013. It wasn't until on 6 September 2015 when he made his first appearances for Cameroon in four years, coming on as a late substitute, in a 1–0 win against
Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
. A month later, Bassong also made his first starts in four years, as the national side lost 3–0 against
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
on 11 October 2015.


Personal life

Bassong's parents were from
Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
, making him play for
Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
. Bassong revealed he started playing football, quoting: "Naturally, like all the kids in the Parisian suburbs. When you live there, you play football as you go to school. This is the sport that can be practiced by going out on the street. So I started this way, it came without even asking me the question. Then, as I went, I enjoyed more and more." Bassong has four brothers and one sister. However, his parents did not applaud his son's exploits in football, as they wanted him to study. As a result, he balanced his football and studies and eventually earned his baccalaureate Es and studied marketing techniques. As Bassong grew older, he remained interested in football and his father was eventually give in and allowed him to play the sport. Growing up, he supported
Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...
. In the interview with ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', Bassong mentioned that he has two children. When Bassong moved to Newcastle United, he began learning English quickly. By February 2009, Bassong has an excellent early grasp of the English language and lifestyle. Bassong also mentioned that he's a Christian and said that he reads the Bible every day. In November 2012, Bassong was fined £1,000 for carrying a baton, which was described as "police-style", in his car. In May 2013, he made national headline when '' The Sun'' published pictures of Bassong holding a gun, which was posted on the internet. Afterwards, he apologised for his action and was fined by Norwich City. Three months later, Bassong spoke out in an interview about the incident. In August 2017, Bassong was charged and found guilty for speeding at 110 mph at Suffolk Magistrates’ Court and was banned from driving for 40 days, fined £440 and told to pay court costs.


Career statistics


Honours

Metz *
Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions ...
: 2006–07 Norwich City *
Football League Championship play-offs The English Football League Championship play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL Championship table and are part of the English Football League play-offs. , ...
:
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
Individual *
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
Player of the Year:
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
* Norwich City Player of the Season:
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bassong, Sebastien 1986 births Living people Footballers from Paris Association football defenders French sportspeople of Cameroonian descent Citizens of Cameroon through descent French footballers Cameroonian footballers INF Clairefontaine players FC Metz players Newcastle United F.C. players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players Norwich City F.C. players Watford F.C. players Peterborough United F.C. players Volos N.F.C. players Ligue 1 players Premier League players English Football League players Super League Greece players France youth international footballers France under-21 international footballers Cameroon international footballers 2010 FIFA World Cup players French expatriate footballers Cameroonian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Greece French expatriate sportspeople in England French expatriate sportspeople in Greece Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in England Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Greece