Former Cameroon captain and international player Rigobert Song has expressed deep gratitude for the support and well wishes he received during his six-months road to recovery in a Paris Hospital.
The 40-year-old returned to Yaounde in Cameroon where he received a rapturous welcome led by dignitaries, friends, and family.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”I’m going to say thank you to the people, to God and President Paul Biya and his wife because he did everything to keep me in a good way,”[/perfectpullquote]
Song told reporters on his arrival at the Yaoundé Nsimalen Airport.
“And people in Cameroon, I’m going to tell them ‘thank you’ for everything they did when I was in my situation.
“To come out of a heart issue without a scar, I am thankful to God and the Cameroonian people. I am healthy thanks to the doctors, I underwent three aneurysm operations,” Song added.
The former Liverpool player who also made a light moment of his return joking that it was “not an April fool” prank, had no recollection of the incident.
Song fell unconscious in October 2016 after suffering a brain aneurysm and was immediately rushed to Yaounde where he was hospitalized to stabilize and manage his condition before he was flown to Paris.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”I don’t remember what happened, but after my situation, I’ve seen a lot of things. People have told me what happened. So I’m very happy to come back and I want to say thank you to all the people.[/perfectpullquote]
“When I opened my eyes the first reflex was to touch my head and I realized something was wrong, I was very far and I thank God for his mercy,” Song told journalists.
A close friend of the former Indomitable Lions captain and Africa Cup of Nations winner disclosed the seriousness of Song’s illness.
Poueni Francoise who accompanied Song back from Paris said, “I was there when Song arrived at Pitie-Salpetriere (in Paris), operations followed immediately and he spent 40 days in a coma.”
Bernadette Song, the mother of Rigobert Song also expressed her joy and celebrated her son’s return which she credited to the overwhelming support he got.
“To be here to celebrate the return of Song, I am overwhelmed with happiness. I joked that he left like a passenger without a ticket, but today he has come back on his feet.
“I thank Cameroonians and the presidential couple for loving him so much.”
Despite the health scare, Song still maintains his desire to work with Cameroon’s football federation in a coaching role and has so far taken on a series of tests to determine his fitness.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”I’m going to continue my job. I’m ok now. I don’t have a problem. My problem is in the past now. It’s another situation. I’ll continue to work normally.[/perfectpullquote]
“I will start preparing the CHAN (African Nations Championship) set to take place in four months.”
He also praised Cameroon’s triumphant 2017 AFCON win in Gabon and hailed the team’s performance which he mentioned in a nostalgic moment at the airport, after comparing his road-to-recovery welcome to the time he and his teammates got after winning the 2000 and 2002 Nations Cup.
“The Lions came back with the trophy, what again, a retired person?” Song joked.
Featured photo: Getty Images
