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Samir Nasri (; born 26 June 1987) is a French former professional footballer. He primarily played as an attacking midfielder and a winger, although he was also deployed in the central midfield. Nasri was known for his dribbling, ball control and passing ability. His playing style, ability and cultural background drew comparisons to former French player Zinedine Zidane.
Nasri began his football career playing for local youth clubs in his hometown Marseille. At age 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 centre. In the 2004–05 season, he made his professional debut in September 2004 at age 17 against Sochaux. In the following season, he became a regular starter in the team and participated in UEFA 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 on 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. In his first season with the club, he won his first major honour as a player as the club won the 2011–12 Premier League. He totalled 176 games and 27 goals for the club, winning another Premier League title and the EFL Cup in 2014. Following a loan to Sevilla FC in 2016, he had short spells at Antalyaspor, West Ham United and Anderlecht until his retirement in 2021. He was suspended from football for eighteen months until January 2019 following a doping violation.
Nasri was a France youth international and represented his nation at every level for which he was eligible. Prior to playing for the senior team, he played on the under-17 team that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. Nasri made his senior international debut in March 2007 in a friendly match against Austria and scored his first senior international goal in a 1–0 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying win over Georgia two months later. He made 41 appearances for France, scoring five goals, and represented the country at UEFA Euro 2008 and Euro 2012. He retired from international football after being omitted from the French squad for the 2014 World Cup.
Nasri made his professional debut on 12 September in a 2–0 league defeat to Sochaux, appearing as a substitute for Bruno Cheyrou. On 17 October, he made his first professional start playing the entire match in a 1–1 draw with Saint-Étienne. Nasri featured heavily within the team under Anigo and later Philippe Troussier. In the team's first match following the winter break, he scored his first professional goal in a 2–1 away victory over Lille OSC. Nasri finished his rookie campaign with 25 total appearances, one goal and two assists.
Following the winter break, Nasri's goal-scoring began to take form. In late January, he scored goals in back-to-back matches against AS Nancy and Caen. In European competition, Nasri participated in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in his career, however he failed to make an impact in the four group stage matches he appeared in. He missed the club's upset victory over Liverpool at Anfield due to dealing with a bout of meningitis. Marseille ultimately finished the group in third place, which resulted in the team qualifying for the round of 32 of the UEFA Cup. The club was defeated in the round of 16 by Zenit Saint Petersburg despite being up 3–1 heading into the second leg. Of those three goals Marseille scored in the first leg, Nasri assisted on two of them. On 16 March 2008, Nasri scored a goal in a 3–3 draw with RC Lens. A month later, he scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Metz. In his final match with Marseille, against Strasbourg, Nasri scored a goal and assisted on another in a 4–3 victory. Marseille finished the league campaign in third place, which resulted in the club qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the second consecutive season. On 8 May 2008, with all the transfer speculation surrounding the player, Nasri surprised many by signing a three-year contract extension with the club until 2012.
Nasri was given the number 8 shirt – previously worn by Arsenal legends Ian Wright, George Graham, Alan Sunderland and Freddie Ljungberg – and made his club debut on 30 July 2008 in a friendly match against German club VfB Stuttgart in a 3–1 win. He made his Premier League debut in the team's first match of the league season on 16 August against West Bromwich Albion. In the match, Nasri scored his first league goal scoring with a close-range effort, after four minutes in a 1–0 victory. As a result of his debut goal, he became the 83rd player in Premier League history to score on his league debut and the 22nd Arsenal player. On 27 August, Nasri scored his second goal for the club in the team's 2008–09 UEFA Champions League third round qualifying second leg tie against FC Twente. Arsenal won the match 4–0 and the tie 6–0 on aggregate. On 8 November, Nasri scored both of Arsenal's goals in a 2–1 win over Manchester United.
On 21 December, Nasri assisted on the opening goal scored by Robin van Persie in the team's 1–1 draw with Liverpool. Nasri returned to his scoring form in the new year. On 17 January 2009, he scored the second goal in the club's 3–1 win over Hull City at the KC Stadium. It took Nasri another two months to score another goal, which came in Arsenal's 3–1 away win against Newcastle United. He finished his first campaign at Arsenal appearing in 44 matches, scoring seven goals and providing five assists.
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 FC 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 wing-back 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". In the team's final seven league matches, Nasri assisted on goals in a 3–2 loss to Wigan Athletic and a 4–0 home win over Fulham. Arsenal ultimately finished the campaign in third place. Nasri concluded his second season at Arsenal appearing in 34 matches, scoring five goals and providing five assists.
Nasri continued his fine form as season wore on. In the club's Champions League group stage tie against Serbian club FK Partizan, he assisted on a Sébastien Squillaci goal in the team's 3–1 victory. In October 2010, Nasri went on a streak in which he scored goals in three-straight matches. He started the streak by converting a penalty in a 2–1 win over Birmingham City. In the club's following match, against Shakhtar Donetsk, Nasri scored on a left-footed volley in a 5–1 victory. He also assisted on a goal in the match. Against Manchester City five days later, he scored the first goal and set up the third in a 3–0 victory. As a result of his performances in October 2010, Nasri was named the PFA Fans' Player of the Month. In November, Nasri was on the score-sheet again netting the opener in a 3–2 defeat to Tottenham. A week later, he scored a volley in a 4–2 win over Aston Villa.
On 4 December, Nasri scored two goals against Fulham to give Arsenal a 2–1 win. The victory placed Arsenal at the top of the league table. The two goals were Nasri's seventh and eighth goals, respectively, in the league and his tenth and 11th overall. Just four days later, Nasri scored a goal in Arsenal's vital last group match against Partizan, a 3–1 victory. On 13 December, for his performances during the 2010 calendar year, Nasri was named the France Football French Player of the Year, edging Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda and Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. He became the first Arsenal player to achieve the honour since Thierry Henry in 2006. Nasri was also rewarded domestically for his performances in December, winning the Fans' Player of the Month for the second time in the season, also capturing the club's monthly award. He won the award for the second consecutive month in January.
Nasri scored his 13th goal of the season in the 3–0 win against Birmingham City on 1 January 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, 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 FC Barcelona. In the first leg, Nasri assisted the match-winning goal scored by Andrey Arshavin. Arsenal won the match 2–1, but lost the tie 4–3 on aggregate after suffering a 3–1 defeat at the Camp Nou 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.
Of his time at Emirates Stadium, Nasri has expressed deep admiration for his former manager Wenger, of whom he also described as a "role model" and a "magician". Altogether, Nasri scored 27 goals in 124 total appearances for Arsenal.
In March 2013, after a man of the match performance in a 4–0 win against Newcastle United, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini said he "would like to give Nasri a punch" due to his inconsistent form. On 14 April, Nasri scored the opening goal as City defeated Chelsea 2–1 in the FA Cup semi-final.
On 2 March 2014, Nasri scored the second goal as Manchester City defeated Sunderland 3–1 to win the 2014 League Cup final. For his performance in the final, Nasri received the Alan Hardaker Trophy, given to the Man of the Match.
In a crucial Premier League match away to Everton on 3 May, Nasri provided the assist for Edin Džeko's game-winning goal as City came from behind to win 3–2 and go top of the table with two matches remaining. On 11 May, Nasri scored Manchester City's opening goal in a 2–0 defeat of West Ham United as the club won the 2013–14 Premier League title.
On 22 November 2015, Manuel Pellegrini confirmed Nasri would miss four-to-five months of action because of a tendon injury sustained in training. On 10 April 2016, during his first match back from injury, he scored the match-winning goal against West Bromwich Albion as Manchester City won 2–1.
Nasri played 30 games in all competitions and scored three goals during his spell at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium. He netted the only goal of a Champions League group win away to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League group stage, but was sent off in a 2–0 loss away to Leicester City in the second leg of the last 16. After the game, he accused opponent Jamie Vardy of diving to convince the referee to show a second yellow card; Vardy denied the accusation.
Nasri made his debut for Les Mauves on 28 July as the season began with a 2–1 home loss to Oostende. On 17 August he scored his first goal in the fourth match, a 4–2 loss at Kortrijk, and on 25 September he opened a 3–2 extra time win away to Beerschot in the sixth round of the Belgian Cup. From October, he suffered from injuries to the hamstrings and adductor muscles.
In April 2020, with football suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nasri was released, ending his Anderlecht spell with eight games and two goals in all competitions. He told Le Journal du Dimanche in September 2021 that he had retired from professional football.
At under-17 level, Nasri, Menez and Ben Arfa were joined by Karim Benzema and tasked with the goal of winning the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Championship on home soil. Nasri made his debut with the team in the opening match of the season against Sweden, scoring a goal in a 5–2 victory. In the team's second straight yearly appearance at the Tournoi du Val-de-Marne, Nasri scored his lone goal in the competition against the United States in a 2–0 win as France were declared champions without conceding a goal. At the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, Nasri scored against Portugal in the competition's semi-finals. France went on to win the match 3–1 to earn a place in the final. In the final match, France faced Spain. In the match, Nasri scored the game-winning goal to give France its first-ever title in the competition. In total with the under-17s, he made 16 appearances and scored six goals. Due to increased playing time at his parent club Marseille, Nasri's stint with the under-18 team was uneventful, appearing in only four matches.
The foursome of Nasri, Ben Arfa, Benzema and Ménez returned to international play together for under-19 duty. The four were joined by Issiar Dia, Blaise Matuidi and Serge Gakpé with the objective of winning the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. The team opened the campaign with two friendly matches against Norway. Over the course of the two matches, Nasri scored two goals: one in a 4–0 win and another in a 5–0 victory. In the first round of qualification for the tournament, Nasri assisted on two goals in the team's 3–1 win over Wales. In the team's next group stage match against San Marino, he scored the third goal in a 3–0 victory. In the final group match against Austria, Nasri scored the opening goal and provided the assist on a Benzema goal in a 2–0 win. In the final round of qualification, despite finishing the round undefeated, France were eliminated after being beaten on points by Scotland. Nasri earned his first call up to the under-21 team under coach René Girard in the team's first match following the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship against Belgium. He started the match and was replaced at half-time by Florent Sinama Pongolle. He featured in qualification matches for the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and appeared as a substitute in both legs of the team's surprising defeat to Israel in the qualifying playoffs. Despite still being eligible to represent the team until 2009, his appearance in the second leg defeat to Israel was Nasri's last with the team.
On 16 November 2007, Nasri scored his second international goal in a friendly match against Morocco. As a result of his performances, he was named in the 23-man squad to participate in 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 Eric Abidal's Penalty 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.
In November 2008, Nasri was one of a group of young players who were accused of being insolent during the team's campaign at Euro 2008. The accusation came from domestic teammate William Gallas, who made the charge in his autobiography. Though not explicitly named in the book, Nasri was widely identified as the player in question. In 2010, after failing to make the 2010 World Cup squad, Nasri opened up about the situation, stating that during Gallas' final year at Arsenal, Nasri was 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 he would not shake the hand of Gallas, who was then playing for Tottenham Hotspur, during the pre-match build-up.
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 went uncapped for the almost a year and a half. During the 2009–10 season, Nasri grew weary of his chances of appearing with the team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the end, he did not appear with the team, failing to make the 23-man squad or even the preliminary squad.
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 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 in a 1–1 draw. The point gained from the stalemate secured a Euro 2012 qualifying spot for France. After appearing regularly in qualifying for Euro 2012, on 29 May 2012, Nasri was named to the squad to participate in the competition. In the team's opening group stage match against England, he scored the equalizing goal in a 1–1 draw.
After France lost to Spain in the quarter-finals, Nasri subjected a reporter to what was described as a "foul-mouthed tirade" when asked for his views on the match. For that and other misdemeanours, the French Football Federation (FFF) imposed a three-match international ban.
On 13 May 2014, France manager Didier Deschamps revealed his 23-man squad for the 2014 World Cup, omitting Nasri.
On 9 August 2014, at age 27, Nasri confirmed his decision to retire from international football.
In 2009, in order to accommodate the arrival of Russian attacker Andrey Arshavin, it was recommended by both Wenger and then-France national team coach Raymond Domenech that Nasri revert to his role as a deep-lying midfielder so the player could showcase his underrated defensive abilities. Nasri was 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 League Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur in 2010. Wenger described Nasri as a "young, quick and technically outstanding player". He was described in a similar fashion by club scout Gilles Grimandi, who stated that Nasri was "a fantastic athlete, he's quick, flexible and good with his feet". Nasri's playing style, ability and cultural background drew comparisons to Zinedine Zidane. After joining Arsenal and excelling on the wing, the English media began comparing him to former club player and compatriot Robert Pires.
| + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | |||
| Marseille | 2004–05 | Ligue 1 | 1 |
| 2005–06 | Ligue 1 | 2 | |
| 2006–07 | Ligue 1 | 3 | |
| 2007–08 | Ligue 1 | 6 | |
| Arsenal | 2008–09 | Premier League | 7 |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 5 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 15 | |
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 0 | |
| Manchester City | 2011–12 | Premier League | 6 |
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 5 | |
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 11 | |
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 3 | |
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 2 | |
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 0 | |
| Sevilla FC (loan) | 2016–17 | La Liga | 3 |
| Antalyaspor | 2017–18 | Süper Lig | 2 |
| West Ham United | 2018–19 | Premier League | 0 |
| Anderlecht | 2019–20 | Belgian Pro League | 2 |
| + Appearances and goals by national team and year | |
| France | 2 |
| 0 | |
| 0 | |
| 0 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| + List of international goals scored by Samir Nasri | |
| 1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualification |
| 2 | Friendly |
| 3 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualification |
| 4 | UEFA Euro 2012 |
| 5 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Arsenal
Manchester City
|
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