Samir Nasri

Samir Nasri (born 26 June 1987) is a French international footballer who plays for English club Manchester City in the Premier League and the France national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger, although he has also been deployed in central midfield. Nasri is known for his technical ability, creativity, pace, and ability to read the game. Of Algerian heritage, he is described as a player whose "vision and imagination make him an unpredictable opponent". His playing style, ability, and cultural background have drawn comparisons to French legend Zinedine Zidane.

Nasri began his football career playing for local youth clubs in his hometown of Marseille. At the age of nine, he joined professional club Olympique de Marseille and spent the next seven years developing in the club's youth academy at La Commanderie, the club's training center. In the 2004–05 season, Nasri made his professional debut in September 2004 at the age of 17 against Sochaux. In the following season, he became a regular starter in the team and also participated in European competition for the first time after playing in the 2005–06 edition of the UEFA Cup. In the 2006–07 campaign, Nasri won the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Young Player of the Year award and was also named to the Team of the Year. He finished his career with Marseille amassing over 160 appearances. He played in the teams that reached back-to-back Coupe de France finals in 2006 and 2007. In June 2008, Nasri joined Premier League club Arsenal agreeing to a four-year contract. He reached prominence with the team in his third season winning the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Fans' Player of the Month award on three occasions and being named to the association's Team of the Year. In December 2010, he was named the French Player of the Year for his performances during the calendar year. In August 2011, after three seasons with Arsenal, Nasri joined Manchester City on a four-year contract.

Samir Nasri is a former French youth international and has represented his nation at every level for which he was eligible. Prior to playing for the senior team, he played in the under-17 team that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. Nasri made his senior international debut in March 2007 in a friendly match against Austria. Two months later, he netted his first senior international goal in a 1–0 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying win over Georgia. Nasri has represented France at one major international tournament: UEFA Euro 2008.

Arsenal

On 21 July 2009, while participating in a training match during pre-season with Arsenal in Bad Waltersdorf, Nasri suffered a broken leg. The injury required two to three months of rest and, as a result, Nasri missed the opening of the 2009–10 Premier League season. He made his debut late in the campaign on 25 October 2009 in a Football League Cup tie against Liverpool. Nasri played the entire match in a 2–1 win. On 4 November, he scored his first goal of the season in the team's Champions League group stage match against Dutch outfit AZ. Three weeks later, Nasri converted another Champions League goal, this time against Belgium club Standard Liège in a 2–0 win. He featured heavily with the team during the winter months and he ended the 2009 calendar year by scoring a goal and providing an assist 4–1 win over Portsmouth away at Fratton Park. After going nearly two months without scoring a goal, Nasri marked his goal-scoring return in emphatic fashion in the team's 5–0 second leg victory over Portuguese club Porto in the Round of 16 of the Champions League knockout stage. The goal, described by English newspaper The Guardian columnist David Lacey as "reminiscent of a lost art in British football", showcased Nasri's dribbling, as well as his individuality. Upon receiving the ball on the right wing from midfielder Abou Diaby, Nasri dribbled through and past three Porto players in a small area of space before bringing the ball past wingback Álvaro Pereira and driving it across the goalkeeper, sending the ball in off the far post. Nasri goal was subsequently compared by the English media to similar goals that occurred in the country. Three weeks later, after appearing as a substitute in the second half, Nasri scored the opening goal against Birmingham City. Birmingham later equalized through a late goal from Kevin Phillips. The draw ended a string of seven consecutive league victories for Arsenal and Wenger admitted that the draw "was a big blow for our chances (of winning the league)". In the team's final seven league matches, Nasri failed to contribute goals to the team, but did assisted on goals in a 3–2 loss to Wigan and a 4–0 home win over Fulham. Arsenal ultimately finished the campaign in 3rd place. Nasri concluded his second season at Arsenal appearing 34 games scoring five goals and issuing the same amount of assists. Nasri scored his 13th goal of the season in the 3–0 win against Birmingham City on New Year's Day 2011. In the FA Cup, Nasri scored his first-ever goal in the competition in a 3–1 win over Leeds United in the third round. On 30 January 2011, Nasri was forced to leave the team's fourth round FA Cup tie against Huddersfield Town due to a hamstring injury. He, subsequently, missed two weeks and returned to the team ahead of its Champions League knockout round tie with Spanish champions Barcelona. In the first leg, Nasri assisted on the game-winning goal scored by Andrei Arshavin. Arsenal won the match 2–1, but loss the tie 4–3 on aggregate after suffering a 3–1 defeat at the Nou Camp in the second leg. On 8 April, Nasri was nominated for both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards. He lost out on both awards to Tottenham midfielder Gareth Bale and teammate Jack Wilshere, respectively, but was given consolation with an appearance on the association's Team of the Year. On 20 April 2011, Nasri scored his 15th goal of the season with a powerful shot outside the penalty area against Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester City

On 24 August 2011, it was confirmed that Nasri had joined Premier League club Manchester City. The transfer fee was priced in the region of £25 million and the player signed a four-year contract. Nasri was assigned the number 19 shirt and made his club debut on 28 August in a league fixture away to Tottenham Hotspur. In the match, he assisted on three goals as Manchester City cruised to a 5–1 win. In the team's next match following the September international break, Nasri assisted on one of Sergio Agüero's three goals in a 3–0 win over Wigan Athletic. On 1 October, he scored his first goal for the club netting the third goal in a 4–0 victory. Nasri also assisted on two goals in the match.

International Career

On 15 March 2007, Nasri was called up to the senior team for the first time by coach Raymond Domenech for UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match against Lithuania and a friendly against Austria. Nasri admitted that he was "very happy and very proud" to be called into the national team and revealed that the fact that he was called up for an important European championship qualifier made the selection more rewarding He appeared on the bench in the match against Lithuania, but failed to make an appearance. Nasri made his international debut on 28 March against Austria at the age of 19. He started the match and assisted on the only goal after delivering a free kick low into the box that youth international teammate Benzema converted. Nasri returned to the team in June for matches and, on 6 June, scored his first international goal in a 1–0 Euro qualifying win over Georgia. On 16 November, Nasri scored his second international goal in a friendly match against Morocco As a result of his performances domestically and with the national team, he was named to the 23-man squad to participate in UEFA Euro 2008. Nasri made his debut in the tournament on 9 June 2008 in the team's opening group stage match against Romania appearing as a substitute. He did not appear in the team's 4–1 loss to the Netherlands, but did appear in the team's final group stage match against Italy. Nasri appeared as a substitute for the injured Franck Ribéry in the tenth minute. Following defender's Éric Abidal's red card in the 24th minute, Nasri was taken out of the match in order for defender Jean-Alain Boumsong to take Abidal's spot in the lineup.

"When I started out in the French national side, Henry had been out with a back injury and I had been sitting in a place on the coach which, on his return, turned out to be where he sat. As soon as I discovered that I got up and let him sit down. Many people were looking for excuses because we had done badly in the Euros but I certainly don't think you can blame that on the fact that I sat in Thierry Henry's seat."

Nasri on the issue brought up by Gallas.

In November 2008, Nasri, among several other young players in the team, was accused of being insolent during the team's campaign at the European Championship. The accusation came from domestic teammate William Gallas who inserted the charge in his autobiography. Though the accused was unnamed in the book, following its release, the player became widely identified as Nasri. Gallas used an example of Nasri's insolence for when the young player sat in Thierry Henry's seat on the team bus and refused to move, which, according to Gallas, was undermining the striker's seniority. The incident ultimately led to a verbal exchange between Nasri and Gallas during a training session. In response, Nasri played down the incident stating that Gallas was overreacting to a problem that did not exist. In 2010, after failing to make the World Cup squad, he opened up about the situation stating that during Gallas' final year at Arsenal, he is one of "four or five" Arsenal players who did not speak to the defender. The feud culminated on 20 November 2010 when Nasri lived up to a pledge that he would not shake the hand of Gallas, who was now playing for Tottenham, during the pre-match festivities.

In the 2008–09 season, Nasri appeared in only three matches with the national team. After playing against Lithuania on 28 March 2009, the midfielder failed to represent France for the almost a year and a half. During the 2009–10 season, after constant failed selections, Nasri grew weary of his chances of appearing with the team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the end, he didn't appear with the team failing to make the 23-man squad or even the preliminary squad. Nasri admitted that he took the non-call up hard recalling "Not being one of those 23 names, it was difficult." The player also viewed the non-invite from a positive perspective stating "But maybe it was for the best in the end, and not just because France had a horrible World Cup. It helped me as a person. I told myself I need to work harder, to make sure I don’t miss the next one."

Nasri returned to the national team under the reign of new coach Laurent Blanc for the team's friendly against Norway on 11 August 2010. He missed the September call ups due to injury before returning to the team in October for UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches against Romania and Luxembourg. On 25 March 2011, Nasri captained the national team for the first time in its 2–0 Euro qualification win over Luxembourg. He provided the assist on the opening goal scored by Philippe Mexès. In the team's final Euro qualifier against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nasri scored the equalizing goal converting a penalty shot in a 1–1 draw. The stalemate qualified France for UEFA Euro 2012.

Style of Play

In his early years at Marseille, Nasri was deployed in several positions, most notably as a deep-lying midfielder and a wide midfielder primarily on the right side as he was deemed too small to play in the middle of the park. After two years of developing his physical traits, in the 2006–07 season, manager Albert Emon inserted Nasri into the playmaker role, where his vision, technical skill, and ability to read and understand the game suited him. Since that season, Nasri has been primarily deployed in the position or as a central attacking midfielder at both club and international level. The player has personally admitted that playing centrally is his preference. However, as a result of his versatility, Nasri can also function on the wing and has spent the majority of his career at Arsenal occupying the role in the team's 4–3–3 formation. His close control with the ball, speed, dribbling, crossing, and ability to use both feet suits the position well, which has resulted in manager Arsène Wenger utilizing Nasri in the role since his arrival to the club in 2008. Nasri often featured centrally for Arsenal in the absence of former club captain Cesc Fàbregas.

In 2009, in order to accommodate the arrival of Russian attacker Andrei Arshavin, it was recommended by both Wenger and former national team coach Raymond Domenech that Nasri revert back to his role as a deep-lying midfielder so the player could showcase his underrated defensive abilities. Nasri is also an underrated direct free kick and penalty kick taker. The player had previously developed a superstition with regards to taking spot kicks, but conquered the issue after successfully converting two penalties in the team's Carling Cup victory over Tottenham in 2010. Wenger describes Nasri as a "young, quick and technically outstanding player". He is described in a similar fashion by club scout Gilles Grimandi who states that Nasri is "a fantastic athlete, he's quick, flexible and good with his feet". Nasri's playing style, ability, and cultural background have drawn comparisons to French legend Zinedine Zidane. After joining Arsenal and excelling on the wing, the English media began comparing him to former club player Robert Pirès. Nasri has often attempted to disassociate himself from the two players, particularly the former player stating "There's only one Zidane, just as there was only one Platini".