Chris Samba is a 6'4" Congolese giant signed by Mark Hughes in January 2007 for a small fee of around £300k from Hertha Berlin, where he was languishing in the reserves. He has immediately cemented himself as a cult hero at Ewood with his graceful-yet-uncompromising style of play. Mixing a huge amount of strength with good passing and a tendency to carry the ball out of defence, Samba has formed a formidable partnership with Ryan Nelsen at the heart of the Rovers backline.

He made his debut as a substitute in the 4-0 win away at Luton in the FA Cup. It did not take him long to become a first team regular in the absence of the injured Andre Ooijer and out-of-favour Andy Todd. His first goal came against West Ham and his regular threat from corners looks to be a major weapon in the Rovers artillery. If he continues to progress as Mark Hughes expects him to then the Rovers faithful will be "doing the Samba" for a long time to come. In October 2007 Chris signed a new 5 year contract at Ewood Park.