Samir Nasri
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Samir Nasri | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Marseille | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of November 21, 2007 | |||
Samir Nasri, born 26 June 1987 in Marseille) is a French attacking midfielder of Algerian Kabyle origin. He has been described as a pacey and flamboyant player who possesses tremendous dribbling skills.
French Ligue 1
Nasri began playing with Marseille when he was nine years old, and joined the French Ligue 1 in the 2004/2005 season. He started 13 games and came on as a substitute in 11 games, scoring a total of just one goal. This is still an accomplishment, as he was only 17-years-old at the time. The next year his goal count improved. He scored two goals in all competitions. But this season he got experience in both the UEFA Cup (10 games; no goals) and the UEFA Cup (one game; one goal). In the 2006/2007 season he scored his first goal of the year in the Championnat late in the season on April 29, 2007. On that day he started the match against Sochaux and helped his team to a 4-2 victory. This win allowed Marseille to climb into fourth place with just four games remaining, putting them into UEFA Cup qualification. Also during this past season, he played two games in both the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Intertoto Cup, scoring no goals.
On May 20 2007, Samir Nasri was named French Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year[1][2] ahead of Jimmy Briand and Karim Benzema. He was voted Marseille's player of the year by the fans, receiving 62% of the votes.
Nasri is a strong attacking midfielder, who, even at age 20, is often referred to as the “new Zinedine Zidane”, mainly because of his upbringing in Marseille and his Algerian origins.
In mid September 2007 Nasri was hospitalised after suffering from a meningitis-like virus.[3] In Marseille's home match aginst Liverpool in the Group stages of the 07/08 Champions League, Nasri was brought on in the first half despite the fact that he was recovering from an injury. He played a strong match, but Liverpool still went on to win.
Nasri has however struggled with form in the 2007-2008 season, resulting in many fans calling for him to be substituted in the home game against Bordeaux on 4th May 2008.
He has been involved in the French national set up for a long time, progressing through the Under-16s, 17s, 18s, 19s and 21s. He won his promotion to the full national squad this year, to which he has been called up three times. Nasri scored his first senior international goal in his third appearance for the senior team in a 1-0 win for France against Georgia on June 6 2007 in a EURO 2008 qualifier.
He received his first cap for France on March 28 2007 against Austria, in a home friendly match at the age of 19. He delivered a free kick low into the box, and fellow debutant Karim Benzema scored the only goal of the match. He was also playing for the young Marseille team who won the france championship.
Previously, he was member of the France national under-21 football team. He has been part of the French national team system since he was about 14. He won with the france under-17 football team the 2004 UEFA U-17 Championship, scoring the winning goal in the final.
After the final match in the 2007/2008 season, Nasri was quoted as saying "It was very important to score here, as it could be my last game at the Stadium Velodrome", fueling speculation of a rumoured £10million transfer to Arsenal F.C.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | June 6, 2007 | Auxerre, France |  Georgia |
1-0 | 1-0 | Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 2. | November 16, 2007 | Saint-Denis, Paris |  Morocco |
2-1 | 2-2 | Friendly |
Honours
- Winner of UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2005 (Olympique de Marseille).
- French League Young Player of the Year in 2007 (Olympique de Marseille).
- Runner-up of Coupe de France in 2006 (Olympique de Marseille).
- Runner-up of Coupe de France in 2007 (Olympique de Marseille).
- Winner of the UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship in 2004 (France national football team)
- Marseille's player of the year, as voted on by the fans in 2007