Christopher Samba

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.

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.

Veijeany Christopher Samba (born 28 March 1984), known as 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It was announced on 18 March 2006 that he signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2008.

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.

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.

At the end of the 2006–07 season, he made 19 appearances, scoring two goals in fourteen Premier League games.

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.

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.

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.