Hatem Ben Arfa’s career has been a rollercoaster ride in the last 18 months.
From being dragged off after 35 minutes in Hull City’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester United in November 2014 to signing for Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain on July 1st 2016, the Frenchman’s transformation has been remarkable. Now he has the chance he has been longing for, at a European heavyweight in the prime years of his career.
Promoted to Lyon’s first-team squad alongside Karim Benzema in 2004, the now 29-year-old was tipped to become the next superstar of French football in a generation that also included Samir Nasri and Jeremy Menez.
Labelled a “genius” by former Lyon boss Gerard Houllier, his skill, confidence and eye for goal stood out at an early age, but so did his attitude, which made it difficult for manager’s to get the best out of his undoubted potential. Ben Arfa himself has admitted that he struggled to deal with such pressure at a young age and that this prevented him from finding consistency:
“My career path has been a rollercoaster ride, I have struggled to find stability. It has been hard. Big things were expected of me from a very young age and I didn’t live up to that!”
Capable of winning games on his own, such natural talent meant clubs were willing to take a risk on Ben Arfa, in the hope of getting the very best out of the playmaker.
Leaving Lyon in 2008, Ben Arfa joined Marseille but again proved inconsistent and had disagreements with then manager Didier Deschamps. This resulted in a move to Newcastle United in 2010 on loan, before a permanent transfer in 2011.
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On the catwalk: Hatem Ben Arfa on a photoshoot
Adored by the ‘Toon Army’, the same love and affection was not shown by Alan Pardew, manager at the time. Played out of position on the wings, rather than behind a striker, Ben Arfa was eventually banished to the reserves, a spell he labelled ‘a humiliation’:
“It was a very, very difficult period. The worst of my career. It was as if my hell began at Newcastle. I was placed directly with the reserves. A terrible humiliation. Weeks passed and I was always with these young 16 and 17-year-olds on land away from the pros.”
Steve Bruce and Hull City offered Ben Arfa an escape route on loan on transfer deadline day in 2014, however a failure to get the best out of the player led to a season-long loan being cut short a few months into the 2014-15 season.
The final straw at Hull was a first-half performance by Ben Arfa at Old Trafford, a display which lasted 35 first half minutes before he was hauled off. Yet another disagreement between Ben Arfa and a manager meant the playmaker faced a defining moment in his career. Bruce urged the Frenchman to realise his potential:
“His views of the game are different to mine. At any club you need to have a certain work ethic to get in the team. That’s the frustrating thing. I hope Hatem takes in what I’ve had to say to him because his talent is there for all to see. But talent without hard work means you won’t live up to your potential.”
Capped by France and expected to be the next big thing, Ben Arfa was now not wanted by Hull City and Newcastle United had terminated his contract, signifying a huge fall from grace.
Unable to join another club for the remainder of the 2014-15 season due to FIFA rules (Ben Arfa had been registered by Newcastle and Hull, and rules state a player can only play for two clubs in one season), the Frenchman was effectively unemployed, spending time in Paris playing 5-a-side football with mates.
Ben Arfa needed someone to take a chance, and thankfully for him, Claude Puel and Nice took the risk. That risk became one of the best signings of the 2015/16 season in Europe.
Scoring 17 league goals, Ben Arfa was the talisman behind Nice’s 4th place finish, dazzling defences with a number of spectacular goals and earning an international recall, ironically under former club coach Didier Deschamps.
So why the drastic change in fortunes?
Firstly, Puel deserves immense credit for playing Ben Arfa in his rightful position, utilising a 4-4-2 diamond system that had him playing behind the strikers and given the responsibility to create.
Both Steve Bruce and Alan Pardew failed to build their teams around Ben Arfa, playing him out wide which exposed the lack of defensive protection he provides his full-backs. By playing him in his best position Puel enabled Ben Arfa to fall back in love with football again, something the player appreciates:
“My relationship with Claude Puel is like that of a father and son, in the sense that he wants to accompany me and wants me to progress. And it works because his message seems to be getting through.”
Ben Arfa himself deserves tremendous credit for realising that the move to Nice was his final chance to show that he can function in a team environment. Labelled as ‘impossible’ to manage by former managers, his six month spell without a club from January to June 2015 perhaps re-ignited his love for the game, as explained by Puel:
“Hatem arrived to us more mature than he was previously. He wanted to make a comeback, and thus he became a good listener, ready to improve and have some reflection on his play.”
These changes, combined with stellar performances, attracted the interest of numerous clubs this summer, with Paris Saint-Germain winning the race for his signature ahead of interest from Sevilla and Barcelona.
Le @psg_inside est heureux d’annoncer la signature du contrat d’Hatem Ben Arfa jusqu’au 30 juin 2018 #TheDreamHunter pic.twitter.com/0ukOIMPlNL
— PSG Officiel (@PSG_inside) July 1, 2016
Known for spending huge sums of money, PSG’s free signing of Hatem Ben Arfa could turn out to be an astounding piece of business from the French champions. Such a move carries risks however: Ben Arfa is no longer the star player like he was at Nice and faces battles with high-profile team-mates such as Javier Pastore, Angel Di Maria and Lucas Moura.
In addition, new PSG coach Unai Emery must demonstrate the man-management skills needed to get the best out of Ben Arfa.
Now at his ‘childhood club’, all eyes are on Hatem Ben Arfa to see if he can deliver the trophies that his talent deserves. In the space of 12 months he has rejuvenated his career. The next chapter could be the most special yet.
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(in-article image credit: Pierre B. via Flickr.)
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