Cherno Samba
Encyclopedia
Cherno Samba is a Gambian footballer who plays as a forward. His last club was Panetolikos
in Greece. He represented England at every youth level up to the under-20 team, having moved to England at an early age. He earned his first full cap
for Gambia
in 2008. Samba began his career with Millwall
before moving to Spain to join Cádiz
. He spent time on loan with Malaga B
before returning to England to play for Plymouth Argyle
. He played on loan for Wrexham and then moved to Haka
in Finland
.
and his family moved to Watford
, England
when he was six, and then to Peckham
, South London and was educated at the St Joseph's Academy, Blackheath
.
soccer team.
He started his career at Millwall
. His prolific form continued, and he was allowed to talk to other clubs by Millwall - both Manchester United
and Liverpool
showed interest, but Millwall turn down a Liverpool offer of £2 million pounds. In return, Millwall agreed a contract, whereby he was guaranteed three-years of football at senior team level, on him signing full school boy forms.
In the summer of 2004 he joined Spanish club Cádiz CF
, and was then loaned out for season 2005–06 to Málaga CF B.
He returned to English football after Ian Holloway
signed him on a free on transfer deadline day, August 2006 for Plymouth Argyle
, signing him to a two year contract. Samba made his Football League
debut on 30 September 2006 as a second half substitute (74th minute) at the Ricoh Arena
against Coventry City
, and within eight minutes he scored his first League goal in a 1–0 win for Argyle.
In January 2007, he joined Wrexham on loan for a month, with the option to extend to the end of the season.
Samba returned to Plymouth on 26 February.
On 8 August 2008, Samba signed an 18 month contract with Finnish
side FC Haka
.
In 2009 he returned to England and went on trial with various English clubs including Norwich City
and Portsmouth
. He signed a two-year contract with Greek Second Division
club Panetolikos
in February 2010.
On 26 July 2011, Samba joined English Conference National
side Forest Green Rovers
on trial for a game against Bristol City
. Samba however failed to earn himself a contract. Samba then joined another Conference club on trial, Alfreton Town
.
In October 2011, he was on trial at Mansfield Town
.
and later decided that he wanted to play for Gambia national team
.
In August 2008, he was called up to the Gambia squad for the 2010 World Cup
qualifying match against Liberia
and on 6 September 2008, he made his first appearance for Gambia as he played the final minutes of the match. He scored his first goal for the Scorpions in a friendly against Tunisia
on 9 January 2010 when he headed in a Sanna Nyassi
cross to open the scoring. The goal was made all the more special for Samba as it came on the eve of his 25th birthday. His most recent international appearance was versus Mexico in June 2010. He was named in squad for 2010/11 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Panetolikos F.C.
Panetolikos is a football club based in Agrinio, Greece. It was founded in 1926 and is considered one of the historic clubs in Greece, having participated so far in the Greek First Division in the seasons 1975-1976,1976-1977 and 2011-2012 . Panetolikos is the reigning Football League Champion...
in Greece. He represented England at every youth level up to the under-20 team, having moved to England at an early age. He earned his first full cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for Gambia
Gambia national football team
The Gambia national football team, nicknamed The Scorpions, is the national team of Gambia and is controlled by the Gambia Football Association. Until 1965, the team, and the country, were known as British Gambia...
in 2008. Samba began his career with Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
before moving to Spain to join Cádiz
Cádiz CF
Cádiz Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1910, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 4, holding home games at Estadio Ramón de Carranza, with a 22,000-seat capacity.Salvadoran legend Mágico González, who...
. He spent time on loan with Malaga B
Atlético Malagueño
Atlético Malagueño, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1990, it is the reserve team of Málaga CF, and currently plays in Tercera División - Group 9....
before returning to England to play for Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
. He played on loan for Wrexham and then moved to Haka
FC Haka
Haka is a Finnish football club, based in the industry town of Valkeakoski. It is one of the most successful clubs in Finland, with nine Finnish championships and 12 Finnish Cup wins.- History :...
in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
Early life
His father was a keeper for the Gambian national teamGambia national football team
The Gambia national football team, nicknamed The Scorpions, is the national team of Gambia and is controlled by the Gambia Football Association. Until 1965, the team, and the country, were known as British Gambia...
and his family moved to Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
when he was six, and then to Peckham
Peckham
Peckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
, South London and was educated at the St Joseph's Academy, Blackheath
St Joseph's Academy, Blackheath
St Josephs Academy was an all boys Roman Catholic academy located in Blackheath, London, United Kingdom.Saint Joseph’s Academy began life in 1860 as an extension of the work of the Brothers in Saint Joseph’s College, Clapham. Bishop Grant asked them to start a new school in Saint George’s parish,...
.
Career
He came to prominence when as a 13-year-old, he scored 132 goals in 32 games for the St Joseph's Academy, BlackheathSt Joseph's Academy, Blackheath
St Josephs Academy was an all boys Roman Catholic academy located in Blackheath, London, United Kingdom.Saint Joseph’s Academy began life in 1860 as an extension of the work of the Brothers in Saint Joseph’s College, Clapham. Bishop Grant asked them to start a new school in Saint George’s parish,...
soccer team.
He started his career at Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
. His prolific form continued, and he was allowed to talk to other clubs by Millwall - both Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
showed interest, but Millwall turn down a Liverpool offer of £2 million pounds. In return, Millwall agreed a contract, whereby he was guaranteed three-years of football at senior team level, on him signing full school boy forms.
In the summer of 2004 he joined Spanish club Cádiz CF
Cádiz CF
Cádiz Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1910, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 4, holding home games at Estadio Ramón de Carranza, with a 22,000-seat capacity.Salvadoran legend Mágico González, who...
, and was then loaned out for season 2005–06 to Málaga CF B.
He returned to English football after Ian Holloway
Ian Holloway
Ian Scott Holloway is an English football manager and former player. He became the manager of Blackpool in May 2009. Holloway is well-known amongst football fans for his off-the-wall interviews, with a wide selection of quotes and soundbites being printed. Holloway's playing career spanned 18...
signed him on a free on transfer deadline day, August 2006 for Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
, signing him to a two year contract. Samba made his Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
debut on 30 September 2006 as a second half substitute (74th minute) at the Ricoh Arena
Ricoh Arena
The Ricoh Arena , home to Coventry City F.C., is a stadium complex situated in the Rowleys Green district of the city of Coventry, England containing a 32,609 seater football stadium, a 6,000 square-metre exhibition hall, a hotel, a leisure club, and a casino...
against Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
, and within eight minutes he scored his first League goal in a 1–0 win for Argyle.
In January 2007, he joined Wrexham on loan for a month, with the option to extend to the end of the season.
Samba returned to Plymouth on 26 February.
On 8 August 2008, Samba signed an 18 month contract with Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
side FC Haka
FC Haka
Haka is a Finnish football club, based in the industry town of Valkeakoski. It is one of the most successful clubs in Finland, with nine Finnish championships and 12 Finnish Cup wins.- History :...
.
In 2009 he returned to England and went on trial with various English clubs including Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
and Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
. He signed a two-year contract with Greek Second Division
Beta Ethniki
Football League, former Beta Ethniki, is the second highest professional football league in Greece.-History:In its first years, the system of conduct was very intriguing. It began in 1954 as regional championship, separated in two groups, North and South. Then, the participating teams were the...
club Panetolikos
Panetolikos F.C.
Panetolikos is a football club based in Agrinio, Greece. It was founded in 1926 and is considered one of the historic clubs in Greece, having participated so far in the Greek First Division in the seasons 1975-1976,1976-1977 and 2011-2012 . Panetolikos is the reigning Football League Champion...
in February 2010.
On 26 July 2011, Samba joined English Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
side Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers F.C.
Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-Early years:...
on trial for a game against Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
. Samba however failed to earn himself a contract. Samba then joined another Conference club on trial, Alfreton Town
Alfreton Town F.C.
Alfreton Town F.C. is an English football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire. The club was reformed after a merger between Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alfreton United in 1959...
.
In October 2011, he was on trial at Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
.
International
He represented England at every youth level up to under-20England national under-20 football team
- Round of 16 :-Friendlies:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup running from 29 July to the 20 August 2011.-Recent call-ups:...
and later decided that he wanted to play for Gambia national team
Gambia national football team
The Gambia national football team, nicknamed The Scorpions, is the national team of Gambia and is controlled by the Gambia Football Association. Until 1965, the team, and the country, were known as British Gambia...
.
In August 2008, he was called up to the Gambia squad for the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
qualifying match against Liberia
Liberia national football team
The Liberia national football team, nicknamed the Lone Stars, is the national team of Liberia and is controlled by the Liberia Football Association. Although the country produced the 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year, George Weah, they have never reached the World Cup finals...
and on 6 September 2008, he made his first appearance for Gambia as he played the final minutes of the match. He scored his first goal for the Scorpions in a friendly against Tunisia
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team , nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, but have yet to make it out of the first round...
on 9 January 2010 when he headed in a Sanna Nyassi
Sanna Nyassi
Sanna Nyassi is a Gambian footballer who currently plays for Montreal Impact in Major League Soccer.-Professional:Nyassi began his professional career in 2004 with Gambia Ports Authority of the GFA League First Division...
cross to open the scoring. The goal was made all the more special for Samba as it came on the eve of his 25th birthday. His most recent international appearance was versus Mexico in June 2010. He was named in squad for 2010/11 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 January 2010 | Tunis Tunis Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants.... , Tunisia Tunisia Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area... |
1-0 | 2-1 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
Background
The Gambia football school, "Cherno Samba Academy of Football", from the Academy was coupled out the professional team Samger FC, is named after him.Career statistics
(correct as of 7 May 2007)| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Millwall Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the... |
2002–03 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2003–04 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Total | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Cádiz CF Cádiz CF Cádiz Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1910, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 4, holding home games at Estadio Ramón de Carranza, with a 22,000-seat capacity.Salvadoran legend Mágico González, who... |
2004–05 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Total | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Málaga CF B | 2005–06 | |4 | |0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |
| Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the... |
2006–07 | 13 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 14 | 1 |
| Total | 13 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 14 | 1 | |
| Wrexham | 2006–07 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |
| FC Haka FC Haka Haka is a Finnish football club, based in the industry town of Valkeakoski. It is one of the most successful clubs in Finland, with nine Finnish championships and 12 Finnish Cup wins.- History :... |
2008–09 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |
| Career Total | 27 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 28 | 1 | |
External links
- Cherno Samba profile at The Football AssociationThe Football AssociationThe Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
- Cherno Samba profile at FIFAFIFAThe Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
- National Football Teams profile
- BDFutbol profile