Hatem Ben Arfa

Hatem Ben Arfa
Hatem Ben Arfa.jpg
Personal information
Full name Hatem Ben Arfa
Date of birth 7 March 1987 (1987-03-07) (age 23)
Place of birth Clamart, France
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Playing position Winger
Club information
Current club Newcastle United
(on loan from Marseille)
Number 37
Youth career
1994–1996 ASV Châtenay-Malabry
1996–1998 Montrouge CF 92
1998–1999 AC Boulogne-Billancourt
1999–2002 INF Clairefontaine
2002–2004 Lyon
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2004–2008 Lyon 64 (7)
2008– Marseille 63 (9)
2010–2011 → Newcastle United (loan) 0 (0)
National team‡
2002–2003 France U16 10 (7)
2003–2004 France U17 17 (11)
2005 France U18 4 (0)
2005–2006 France U19 6 (1)
2007 France U21 1 (0)
2007– France 8 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 28 August 2010.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 May 2010

Hatem Ben Arfa (Arabic: حاتم بن عرفة‎; born on 7 March 1987) is a French football player of Tunisian descent who plays for English club Newcastle United in the Premier League on loan from French club Marseille.[2] He plays as a winger, preferably on the left side, and an attacking midfielder. Ben Arfa has been described as "one of the best-rated talents in France", but has been criticized by the media and players alike for lacking discipline.[3][4][5][6]

Ben Arfa started his career throughout various clubs in the Île-de-France region, having trained at AC Boulogne-Billancourt and Versailles. In 1999, he was selected to attend the Clairefontaine academy. Ben Arfa spent three years at the academy and, upon leaving, signed with Olympique Lyonnais, where he won four Ligue 1 titles. In his early career at Lyon, he played as a centre forward, but moved into a winger role during the 2007–08 season. In the summer of 2008, Ben Arfa signed with rivals Marseille for €11 million through a move which required the intervention of the Ligue de Football Professionnel. With Marseille, he won the 2009–10 league title, his fifth overall, as well as the Coupe de la Ligue in 2010. After two years at Marseille, Ben Arfa joined English club Newcastle United on loan for the 2010–11 season with a view to a permanent deal.

Ben Arfa is a former French youth international and was apart of the team that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. He now plays for the senior team, scoring on his debut against the Faroe Islands on 13 October 2007.

Contents

Career

Early career

Ben Arfa was born in Clamart, a southwestern suburb in Paris, to Kamel Ben Arfa, a former Tunisian international football player, and a French mother. His father discovered that his five-year old son had an interest in football and with guidance from a sports journalist and agent Michel Ouazin, Ben Arfa began his career as a football player.[5]

Ben Arfa began training at ASV Châtenay-Malabry, a local club not far from his hometown.[7] After two years at the club, he moved a few miles north to Montrouge CF 92. In 1998, Ben Arfa moved to sporting club AC Boulogne-Billancourt. The following year, he was selected to attend the Clairefontaine academy. While at Clairefontaine, Ben Arfa was the only underage player in his class, and was a part of A la Clairefontaine, a documentary series which chronicled the lives of the France's top young footballers during their time at the academy.[8][9] During the series, an episode showed Ben Arfa getting into an argument with Abou Diaby, who now plays for English side Arsenal.[10] While training at Clairefontaine during the weekdays, Ben Arfa played for FC Versailles on the weekends.[7]

Olympique Lyonnais

At 15 and already labeled a prodigy, Ben Arfa joined Olympique Lyonnais who had just won their first ever Ligue 1 championship. In August 2004, after spending two years in the youth divisions of the Lyon academy, he signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal, despite late interest from English club Chelsea and Dutch outfit Ajax.[11] He was, along with fellow player Karim Benzema, promoted to the senior squad and assigned the number 34 shirt.

Ben Arfa made his professional debut on the opening match day of the 2004–05 season against Nice coming on as a substitute in the 68th minute. Lyon won the match 1–0 with a goal from Giovane Elber a few minutes after Ben Arfa came on.[12] After making a few substitute appearances, he made his first start on 11 September 2004 in a 2–1 victory over Rennes playing 56 minutes.[13] Ben Arfa scored his first professional goal two months later on 10 November in a Coupe de la Ligue match against Lille, converting from the penalty spot in extra time to give Lyon a 2–1 lead, though Lille scored two late goals, beating Lyon 3–2.[14] He made his UEFA Champions League debut in a group stage match against Manchester United coming on as a substitute for Sidney Govou.[15]

The following season, Ben Arfa switched to the first team number 18 shirt, but his substitute-to-start ratio was still high with seven out of 12 appearances as a substitute. He also made his first Champions League start in a 2–1 victory over Norwegian club Rosenborg, providing the assist on the game winning goal scored by the Brazilian Fred in the last minutes of the match.[16] Ben Arfa scored his first league goal during the 2006–07 season against Sedan just before half-time, which proved to be the winner as Lyon won the match 1–0.[17]

After wingers Florent Malouda and Sylvain Wiltord left the club, incoming manager Alain Perrin preferred the more modern 4-3-3 formation and opted to move Ben Arfa to the left-wing role for the 2007–08 season.[18] Ben Arfa quickly adapted to the position and scored his first goal in a 5–1 demolition of Metz on 15 September, though his performance was overshadowed by a Karim Benzema hat trick.[19] Arguably his best performances in a Lyon shirt came in a period of 12 days, during which he played a league match on 28 October against Paris Saint-Germain and a Champions League game against German club VfB Stuttgart on 7 November. He scored two goals in each match with both results being in favor of Lyon.[20][21] Following the season, he was named the league's Young Player of the Year.[22]

Despite rumors of a rift between himself and Benzema, Ben Arfa signed a contract extension with Lyon in March 2008 until 2010.[23][24] However, his career at Lyon reached an impasse after he got into a training session scuffle with veteran Sébastien Squillaci.[25]

Olympique Marseille

Despite reported interest from English clubs Everton, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Spanish club Real Madrid, rumors of a move to rivals Olympique de Marseille began to surface.[26][27] On 28 June 2008, Lyon confirmed that a proposed transfer to Marseille had been canceled for the time being.[28] However, Ben Arfa confirmed to the local La Provence newspaper on 29 June that he had signed for the southern coast club and would not return to Lyon for pre-season training the following day.[29] La Provence later reported that Ben Arfa had in fact missed training in Lyon on 30 June, confirming his intentions.[30]

Hatem Ben Ara in the Coupe de la Ligue
Ben Arfa taking on Bordeaux defender Matthieu Chalmé.

Ben Arfa officially joined Marseille on 1 July 2008 for €11 million, with future incentives to be included later, after an agreement was reached between Marseille and Lyon in a meeting organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel.[31][32] As a result of the disagreement over the transfer, in December 2008, Ben Arfa told the local Lyon paper Le Progrès that his former team lacked class and was not a great team.[33] Ben Arfa was presented to the media and had his first training session with the club the same day.[34] He was given the number 20 shirt. On 16 July, Ben Arfa was involved in another training session bust-up, this time with stiker and France international Djibril Cissé.[35] Cissé later joined English club Sunderland on loan.[36]

Ben Arfa made his league debut on the opening day of the season in a 4–4 draw with Rennes. He scored his first goal for the Marseilles in that match.[37] He continued in form scoring six times in his first 11 matches. However, his reputation for controversy continued to haunt him when he was involved in another dispute, this time with the Cameroon international Modeste M'bami during a warm up session ahead of the club's UEFA Champions League match against Liverpool. The two had to be separated by Ronald Zubar.[38] Controversy arose again following Marseille's 4–2 loss to Le Classique rivals Paris-Saint Germain. He drew the ire of manager Eric Gerets after his refusal to leave the bench to warm up. Ben Arfa later said he was injured much to the chagrin of Gerets, but later apologized for the incident to the media and Gerets himself.[39] Upon his return to the squad, Ben Arfa responded by scoring a goal and providing the assists on both the other goals in a 3–1 victory over Saint-Étienne.[40]

Ben Arfa switched to the number 10 shirt for the 2009–10 season and made his debut on the opening match day of the season in a 2–0 away victory over Grenoble appearing as a substitute in the 68th minute.[41] The following week, he earned his first start of the season against Lille and assisted the game-winning goal scored by Brandão.[42]

Hatem Ben Arfa and Mamadou Niang
Ben Arfa celebrating the Coupe de la Ligue title in 2010 with Mamadou Niang.

Controversy surfaced again, however, when, on 8 October 2009, Ben Arfa was fined €10,000 by the club for missing a training session. Ben Arfa blamed the absence on airport delays as he was in Tunisia visiting family members during the international break.[43] A month later, on 18 November, he got into a heated argument with manager Didier Deschamps during a training session, for which Ben Arfa later apologized.[44][45] Under Deschamps in the first half of the season, Ben Arfa appeared in 15 of the club's 20 league matches and only played the full 90 minutes in two matches, a 2–1 defeat against Monaco and a 2–0 defeat to Auxerre.[46][47]

Ben Arfa's play during the 2010 portion of the season earned praise from Deschamps and sporting director José Anigo.[48][49] On 10 January 2010, Ben Arfa scored his first goal of the season against amateur club Trélissac in the Coupe de France.[50] A month later, he was instrumental in Marseille's 5–1 victory over Valenciennes assisting on the opening goal scored by Lucho González.[48][51] Later that month, Ben Arfa scored an away goal in the first leg of the club's UEFA Europa League tie against Danish club FC København. In the return leg in Marseille, Ben Arfa struck again, scoring the opening goal in the 43rd minute. Marseille won the match 3–1 and the tie 6–2 on aggregate.[52] On 27 February, he scored his first league goal of the season in a 3–0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.[53] Ben Arfa's play in the month of February was validated when he was named the UNFP Player of the Month.[54] Marseille won all four of the league matches the team contested with Ben Arfa starting all of them. On 7 April, Ben Arfa converted a penalty in a 3–0 win over Sochaux.[55] The victory placed the club at the top of the table, and they remained there for the rest of the season and clinched the title on 5 May with a 3–1 win over Rennes.[56] Ben Arfa appeared as a substitute in the match.[57]

Departure to Newcastle

On 22 July 2010, reports surfaced suggesting that English club Newcastle United were looking to sign Ben Arfa. After being questioned, Newcastle's manager Chris Hughton denied the reports.[58] Five days later, Ben Arfa's agent declared that Newcastle were indeed interested in the player, along with German clubs Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen, Turkish club Galatasaray, and Italian club Milan.[59][60][61] On 9 August, a season-long loan with an option to make the move permanent was reportedly being negotiated between the two clubs.[62] However, a loan-fee for the deal could not be reached with Newcastle offering £650,000; £350,000 short of what Marseille were desiring.[63] On 12 August, Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier announced that Ben Arfa would not be moving to Newcastle and even went as far as to say that an offer from the club had not even existed.[64]

Similar to his actions in leaving Lyon, Ben Arfa responded to the statement by telling French newspaper L'Equipe that he would not be returning to La Commanderie, Marseille's training facility, and would not play with the team for the remainder of the season.[65][66] He also stated that his relationship with Deschamps had turned sour and was beyond repair.[67][68] Ben Arfa confirmed his intentions by traveling to Newcastle upon Tyne, without authorization, with hopes that Newcastle and Marseille would come to an agreement.[69] After returning to Marseille, he missed several training sessions with his parent club and was, subsequently, left off the match day squad for two league matches against Valenciennes and Lorient.[70] Ben Arfa's number 10 was later given to new signing André-Pierre Gignac, which signaled a transfer was imminent.[71]

On 19 August, a proposed move to Werder Bremen failed to come to fruition after the club's sporting director Klaus Allofs declared that the club was not interested in Ben Arfa, despite reports of Werder Bremen offering Marseille a transfer fee of €8 million.[72][73] On 27 August, Dassier confirmed that the club had reached an agreement on a loan fee with Newcastle for the transfer of Ben Arfa with personal terms being the only stumbling block in the deal.[74] Marseille agreed to a £2 million loan fee with Newcastle set to pay the club another £5 million if Ben Arfa makes 25 club appearances this season.[75]

Newcastle United

On 27 August 2010, Ben Arfa agreed to personal terms with Newcastle and, the following day, the club confirmed that it had signed Ben Arfa on a season-long loan.[76][2] He received the number 37 shirt.

International career

Ben Arfa has earned caps with all of France's youth teams. With the under-16 team, he made ten appearances scoring seven goals. Ben Arfa made his debut with the team at the 2003 edition of the Aegean Cup in Turkey. He scored his first goal in the tournament on 12 January in a 3–2 win over Belgium.[77] The victory assured France a third-place finish. At the Montaigu Tournament, Ben Arfa scored a team-leading six goals. He scored two goals in the team's 8–0 win over Gabon in the opening match.[78] In the following match, Ben Arfa scored the final goal in the team's 3–0 win over Russia and, in the final group stage match, bagged another double in a 3–1 victory over England.[79][80] He capped the tournament by scoring a goal in the final against Italy, though France lost the match 5–1.[81]

Ben Arfa made his debut with the under-17 team in the opening match of the season against Sweden converting a first-half hat-trick in a 5–2 victory.[82] In the Tournio de Val-de-Marne, Ben Arfa scored two goals as France were crowned champions without conceding a goal.[83] At the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, Ben Arfa, alongside teammates Samir Nasri, Benzema, and Jérémy Menez contributed to the team winning the competition. Ben Arfa appeared in all five matches and scored goals against Northern Ireland, Turkey and Portugal.[84][85][86] In total with the under-17s, he made 17 appearances and scored a team-high 11 goals. Because of his increased playing time with Lyon, Ben Arfa missed a significant portion of playing time with the under-18 team. He made his debut on 15 March 2005, playing in a 3–3 draw with Germany.[87] Ben Arfa appeared in the final three matches of the season for the team to bring his appearance total to four. He scored no goals.

The foursome of Ben Arfa, Nasri, Benzema, and Menez 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 Football Championship. In the first round of qualification for the tournament, Ben Arfa scored his lone goal in the opening match against Wales as France advanced through the round undefeated.[88] Due to injury, Ben Arfa was absent from the final round of qualification for the tournament and, despite going undefeated in the round, France were eliminated after being beaten on points by Scotland. Ben Arfa only made one appearance with the under-21 team, appearing in a 2009 UEFA Under-21 Championship qualification match against Romania.[89]

Before representing France, Ben Arfa was eligible to represent the Tunisian national football team and was offered a place in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, held in Germany. He turned down this opportunity, preferring to continue his career with the French national team.[90] Ben Arfa was called up to the senior team for the first time on 10 October 2007 by Raymond Domenech to replace the injured Louis Saha and played in the EURO 2008 qualifying matches against the Faroe Islands and Lithuania.[91] This move stunned critics of Domenech as they expected striker David Trezeguet to get the call-up.[92] Ben Arfa made his debut on 13 October when he came on for Franck Ribéry in the 64th minute and scored the last goal in France's 6–0 victory over the Faroe Islands. Ben Arfa was, however, omitted from Domenech's final 23-man Euro 2008 squad on May 28.[31]

On 25 February 2010, after a long period without a call-up, Ben Arfa returned to the team, alongside teammates Steve Mandanda and Benoît Cheyrou, after being called up for France's friendly match with Spain on 3 March. On 11 May, he was named to the 30-man preliminary list by Domenech to play in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but failed to make the final 23.[93][94]

Career statistics

Club

(Correct as of 28 August 2010)[95][96][97]

Club Season League Cup[nb 1] Europe[nb 2] Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Lyon 2004–05 9 0 2 1 1 0 4 0 1 14 1 3
2005–06 12 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 14 1 2
2006–07 13 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 16 1 1
2007–08 30 6 4 5 0 0 8 2 1 43 8 5
Total 64 7 8 9 2 0 14 2 3 87 11 11
Marseille 2008–09 33 6 2 2 0 0 13 2 0 48 8 2
2009–10 29 3 3 5 1 2 7 3 0 41 7 5
2010–11 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1
Total 63 9 6 8 1 2 20 5 0 91 15 8
Newcastle Utd
(loan)		 2010–11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career totals 127 16 14 17 3 2 34 7 3 178 26 19

International

(Correct as of 11 August 2010)[98]
National team Season Apps Goals Assists
France 2007–08 6 1 1
2008–09 1 0 0
2009–10 0 0 0
2010–11 1 1 0
Total 8 2 1

International goals – France

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 13 October 2007 Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands  Faroe Islands 0 – 6 0–6 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
2 11 August 2010 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway  Norway 0 – 1 2–1 Friendly

Honours

Club

International

Individual

Notes

  1. ↑ Includes Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, Trophée des Champions
  2. ↑ Includes UEFA Supercup

References

  1. ↑ "Ben Arfa Club Profile" (in French). OM.net. http://www.om.net/en/Teams/201002/Effectif_pro/1711/BEN_ARFA. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Magpies Clinch Ben Arfa Signing". Newcastle United F.C.. 28 August 2010. http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20100828/magpies-clinch-ben-arfa-signing_2240137_2137580. Retrieved 28 August 2010. 
  3. ↑ "Ben Arfa likely to leave Marseille if price is right". ESPN. 12 December 2009. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=711820&cc=5901. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  4. ↑ "Deschamps turns OM from romantic to pragmatic". Reuters UK. 12 December 2010. http://football.uk.reuters.com/leagues/ligue1/news/2010/05/06/LDE6420UJ.php. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Hatem Ben Arfa : portrait d'un jeune espoir du football français" (in French). Web Libre. http://www.web-libre.org/dossiers/hatem-ben-arfa,5084.html. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  6. ↑ "French bad boy must wait for summer exit". Sport UK. 22 January 2010. http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Football/32951/French_bad_boy_must_wait_for_summer_exit.aspx. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Hatem Ben Arfa, le diamant paradoxal" (in French). MoreFoot. 29 October 2007. http://www.morefoot.com/actualite-8720.html. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  8. ↑ "Clairefontaine de diamants" (in French). Football.fr. 18 October 2007. http://www.football.fr/footballfr/cmc/equipe-de-france/200742/clairefontaine-de-diamants_30600.html. Retrieved 16 August 2010. 
  9. ↑ "A la clairefontaine" (in French). Parlons Foot. 6 October 2006. http://www.parlonsfoot.com/archives/2006/10/06/a-la-clairefontaine/. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  10. ↑ "Hatem ben arfa VS abou Diaby" (in French). YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCrmuOkF0FE. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  11. ↑ "Ben Arfa a signé" (in French). L'Equipe. 18 August 2004. http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/20040818_195411Dev.html. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  12. ↑ "Nice v. Lyon Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 6 August 2004. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2004/2005&code_evt=D1&code_jr_tr=J01&num_ordre=6. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  13. ↑ "Rennes v. Lyon Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 11 September 2004. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2004/2005&code_evt=D1&code_jr_tr=J05&num_ordre=7. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  14. ↑ "Lille v. Lyon Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 10 November 2004. http://www.lfp.fr/coupeLigue/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2004/2005&code_evt=D1&code_jr_tr=T95&num_ordre=7. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  15. ↑ "Van Nistelrooy the Lyon king". The Guardian. 16 September 2004. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2004/sep/16/match.sport. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  16. ↑ "Fred leaves Lyon purring". UEFA. 6 December 2005. http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/history/season=2005/round=2201/match=1100340/index.html. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  17. ↑ "Lyon v. Sedan Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 15 April 2007. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2006/2007&code_evt=D1&code_jr_tr=J32&num_ordre=5. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  18. ↑ "Win in Paris cannot hide Perrin's problems". The Guardian. 4 March 2008. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/mar/04/europeanfootball.lyon. Retrieved 16 August 2010. 
  19. ↑ "Metz v. Lyon Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 15 September 2007. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2007/2008&code_evt=D1&code_jr_tr=J08&num_ordre=7. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  20. ↑ "Improving Lyon resist Stuttgart revival". UEFA. 7 November 2007. http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/history/season=2008/round=15105/match=301207/report=rp.html. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  21. ↑ "PSG v. Lyon Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 27 October 2007. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2007/2008&code_evt=&code_jr_tr=J12&num_ordre=8&no_groupe=0. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  22. ↑ "Les Trophées UNFP du football" (in French). National Union of Professional Footballers. http://www.unfp.org/unfp/ce-que-nous-faisons/les-trophees-unfp-du-football.html. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  23. ↑ "Lyon coach Perrin denies player rift". Reuters. 3 March 2008. http://uk.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUKL0383699520080303. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  24. ↑ "Ben Arfa veut prolonger" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 21 March 2008. http://www.mercato365.com/article_228550_Lyon-Ben-Arfa-veut-prolonger.html. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  25. ↑ "Bagarre Ben Arfa – Squillaci" (in French). L'Equipe. 22 March 2008. http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/20080322_082941Dev.html. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  26. ↑ "Ben Arfa in Gunners link". Sky Sports. 7 April 2008. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_3396816,00.html. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  27. ↑ "No Real Madrid bid for Ben Arfa". ESPN. 3 July 2008. http://m.espn.go.com/soccer/story?lang=EN&storyId=553478&teamId=86. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  28. ↑ "Marseille not ready to give up on Ben Arfa". ESPN. 28 June 2008. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=552367&sec=europe&cc=5901. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  29. ↑ "I won't return to Lyon". La Provence. 29 June 2008. http://www.laprovence.com/articles/2008/06/30/501428-Sports-Je-ne-retournerai-pas-a-Lyon.php. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  30. ↑ "Ben Arfa misses training". La Provence. 30 June 2008. http://www.laprovence.com/articles/2008/06/30/502042-Region-en-direct-Lyon-pas-de-Ben-Arfa-a-l-entrainement.php. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Ben Arfa finally joins Marseille". FIFA. 1 July 2008. http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=820692.html. Retrieved 16 August 2010. 
  32. ↑ "Ben Arfa verra bien la Canebière" (in French). Mercato 365. 1 July 2008. http://www.mercato365.com/infos-clubs/marseille/article_248265_Ben-Arfa-verra-bien-la-Canebiere.shtml. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  33. ↑ "Ben Arfa: "Lyon n'est pas un grand club"" (in French). Europe 1. 12 December 2008. http://www.europe1.fr/Sport/Football/L1-L2/Ben-Arfa-Lyon-n-est-pas-un-grand-club/(gid)/187239. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  34. ↑ "First training session at the Commanderie for Ben Arfa". Olympique de Marseille. 30 June 2008. http://www.om.net/en/Season/101002/Actualites/35770/First_training_session_at_the_Commanderie_for_Ben_Arfa. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  35. ↑ "Ben Arfa-Cissé, le clash?" (in French). France Football. 16 July 2008. http://www.francefootball.fr/FF/breves2008/20080716_143408_ben-arfa-cisse-le-clash_Dev.html. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  36. ↑ "Marseille loan Cisse to Sunderland". FIFA. 20 August 2008. https://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=856923.html. Retrieved 16 August 2010. 
  37. ↑ "Rennes v. Marseille Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 9 August 2008. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2008/2009&code_evt=D1&code_jr_tr=J01&num_ordre=8. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  38. ↑ "Altercation Ben Arfa-M'Bami" (in French). France Football. 17 September 2008. http://www.francefootball.fr/FF/breves2008/20080917_101745_altercation-ben-arfa-m-bami_Dev.html. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  39. ↑ "Dissent and sensitivity overshadow PSG's Marseille adventure". The Guardian. 28 October 2008. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2008/oct/28/ligue-1-paris-st-germain-marseille. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  40. ↑ "Marseille v. Saint-Etienne Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 1 November 2008. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2008/2009&code_evt=&code_jr_tr=J12&num_ordre=6&no_groupe=0. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  41. ↑ "Grenoble v. Marseille Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 8 August 2009. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009/2010&code_evt=&code_jr_tr=J01&num_ordre=3&no_groupe=0. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  42. ↑ "Marseille v. Lille Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 16 August 2009. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009/2010&code_evt=&code_jr_tr=J02&num_ordre=5&no_groupe=0. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  43. ↑ "Marseille issue Ben Arfa fine". Sky Sports. 8 October 2009. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_5617928,00.html. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  44. ↑ "Ben Arfa close to I'OM exit". Sky Sports. 18 November 2009. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11810_5702341,00.html. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  45. ↑ "Ben Arfa set for talks over future after bust-up". ESPN. 18 November 2009. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=700017&sec=europe&cc=5901. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  46. ↑ "Marseille v. Monaco Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 4 October 2009. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009/2010&code_evt=&code_jr_tr=J08&num_ordre=4&no_groupe=0. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  47. ↑ "Marseille v. Auxerre Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 23 December 2009. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009/2010&code_evt=&code_jr_tr=J19&num_ordre=5&no_groupe=0. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 "Ben Arfa en embuscade?" (in French). France Football. 19 February 2010. http://www.francefootball.fr/FF/breves2010/20100219_162054_ben-arfa-en-embuscade.html. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  49. ↑ "Didier wants Ben Arfa stay". Sky Sports. 21 January 2010. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_5876718,00.html. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  50. ↑ "Trélissac v. Marseille Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 10 January 2010. http://www.lfp.fr/coupeFrance/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009/2010&code_evt=D1&code_jr_tr=T94&num_ordre=2. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  51. ↑ "Marseille v. Toulouse Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 7 February 2010. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009/2010&code_evt=&code_jr_tr=J23&num_ordre=4&no_groupe=0. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  52. ↑ "Marseille show København no mercy". UEFA. 25 February 2010. http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/matches/season=2010/round=2000038/match=2000925/index.html. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  53. ↑ "PSG v. Marseille Match Report 2" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 28 February 2010. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009/2010&code_evt=&code_jr_tr=J26&num_ordre=8&no_groupe=0. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  54. ↑ "Hatem Ben Arfa: Le revoilà!" (in French). UNFP. 4 March 2010. http://www.footballeurspros.fr/ligue1/trophee-du-joueur/trophees-du-mois.html?tx_unfptrophee_pi1%5uid%5D=105&cHash=bd13df2ffd. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  55. ↑ "Marseille v. Sochaux Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 7 April 2010. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009/2010&code_evt=&code_jr_tr=J14&num_ordre=6&no_groupe=0. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  56. ↑ "Marseille clinch title after Rennes victory". ESPN. 5 May 2010. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=782213&cc=5901. Retrieved 16 August 2010. 
  57. ↑ "Marseille v. Rennes Match Report" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 5 May 2010. http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/feuilleMatch.asp?saison=2009/2010&code_evt=&code_jr_tr=J36&num_ordre=5&no_groupe=0. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  58. ↑ "Hughton - No truth in rumours". Sky Sports. 22 July 2010. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6273963,00.html. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  59. ↑ "Hoffenheim join Ben Arfa hunt". Sky Sports. 2 August 2010. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6291778,00.html. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  60. ↑ "Hoffenheim join Ben Arfa hunt". Sky Sports. 2 August 2010. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6291778,00.html. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  61. ↑ "VfL Wolfsburg und Werder Bremen buhlen um Hatem Ben Arfa" (in German). Sportmedien. 23 July 2010. http://www.sportmedien.eu/transfergeruecht-vfl-wolfsburg-und-werder-bremen-buhlen-um-hatem-ben-arfa-8715. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  62. ↑ "Newcastle poised to seal loan deal for in-demand Marseille midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa". Daily Mail. 9 August 2010. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1301620/Newcastle-poised-seal-loan-deal-Hatem-Ben-Arfa.html. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  63. ↑ "Magpies close on Ben Arfa". Sky Sports. 12 August 2010. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11810_6302787,00.html. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  64. ↑ "L'OM cool Ben Arfa talk". Sky Sports. 12 August 2010. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6308849,00.html. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  65. ↑ "Ben Arfa: "J'ai ma dignité"" (in German). L'Equipe. 15 August 2010. http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2010/20100814_220654_ben-arfa-j-ai-ma-dignite.html. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  66. ↑ "Ben Arfa eyeing Newcastle move". Sky Sports. 15 August 2010. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6313784,00.html. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  67. ↑ "Ben Arfa threatens to retire if he doesn't get Toon move". The Mirror. 15 August 2010. http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Transfer-news-Hatem-Ben-Arfa-has-threatened-to-quit-football-if-he-is-not-allowed-Newcastle-move-article555591.html. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  68. ↑ "Ben Arfa at odds with Marseille over transfer". Google. 15 August 2010. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iD5T0TAzIJx6MoYO75wEPx6zooLg. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  69. ↑ "Ben Arfa jets in to Toon". The Shields Gazette. 14 August 2010. http://www.shieldsgazette.com/nufc/Ben-Arfa-jets-in-to.6475379.jp. Retrieved 27 August 2010. 
  70. ↑ "Ben Arfa dropped by Marseille". Eurosport. 13 August 2010. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/13082010/58/ligue-1-ben-arfa-dropped-marseille.html. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  71. ↑ "Gignac récupère le numéro 10". France Football. 24 August 2010. http://www.francefootball.fr/FF/breves2010/20100824_150227_gignac-recupere-le-numero-10.html. Retrieved 27 August 2010. 
  72. ↑ "Le Werder chaud sur Ben Arfa" (in French). L'Equipe. 18 August 2010. http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2010/20100818_084010_le-werder-chaud-sur-ben-arfa.html. Retrieved 19 August 2010. 
  73. ↑ "Bremen deny Ben Arfa interest". Sky Sports. 19 August 2010. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11800_6323651,00.html. Retrieved 19 August 2010. 
  74. ↑ "J-C. Dassier déçu par Ben Arfa" (in French). Olympique de Marseille. 27 August 2010. http://www.om.net/fr/Saison/101005/Actualites/48359/J_C_Dassier_decu_par_Ben_Arfa. Retrieved 27 August 2010. 
  75. ↑ "Hatem Ben Arfa to snub Liverpool and Arsenal for Newcastle transfer". Metro. 27 August 2010. http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/839308-hatem-ben-arfa-to-snub-liverpool-and-arsenal-for-newcastle-transfer. Retrieved 27 August 2010. 
  76. ↑ "Ben Arfa à Newcastle c’est fait !" (in French). RMC Sport. 27 August 2010. http://www.rmc.fr/editorial/123905/ben-arfa-a-newcastle-c-est-fait/. Retrieved 27 August 2010. 
  77. ↑ "La France termine troisième (3–2)" (in French). French Football Federation. 12 January 2003. http://www.fff.fr/selections/m16ans/42275.shtml. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  78. ↑ "Entrée en matière réussie face au Gabon (8–0)" (in French). French Football Federation. 16 April 2003. http://www.fff.fr/selections/m16ans/51364.shtml. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  79. ↑ "La France poursuit sur sa lancée (3–0)" (in French). French Football Federation. 17 April 2003. http://www.fff.fr/selections/m16ans/51476.shtml. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  80. ↑ "La France gagne (3–1) et se retrouve en finale!" (in French). French Football Federation. 19 April 2003. http://www.fff.fr/selections/m16ans/51666.shtml. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  81. ↑ "L'Italie bat la France en finale (5–1)" (in French). French Football Federation. 21 April 2003. http://www.fff.fr/selections/m16ans/51741.shtml. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  82. ↑ "Un premier test réussi face à la Suède (5–2)" (in French). French Football Federation. 23 September 2003. http://www.fff.fr/selections/m17ans/64527.shtml. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  83. ↑ "Philippe Bergeroo : "Un tournoi riche d'enseignements"" (in French). French Football Federation. 1 November 2003. http://www.fff.fr/selections/m17ans/actualite/72264.shtml. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  84. ↑ "France lifted by late goals". UEFA. 4 May 2004. http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/under17/history/season=2004/round=1658/match=75060/index.html. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  85. ↑ "Flamboyant hosts earn final chance". UEFA. 9 May 2004. http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/under17/history/season=2004/round=1658/match=75064/index.html. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  86. ↑ "French surge seals semi-final spot". UEFA. 12 May 2004. http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/under17/history/season=2004/round=1659/match=75434/index.html. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  87. ↑ "Les joueurs retenus" (in French). French Football Federation. 4 March 2005. http://www.fff.fr/selections/m18ans/225602.shtml. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  88. ↑ "Entrée en matière victorieuse face au Pays-de-Galles (3–1)" (in French). French Football Federation. 24 October 2005. http://www.fff.fr/selections/m19ans/262974.shtml. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  89. ↑ "France v. Romania Match Report". UEFA. 1 June 2007. http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/under21/fixturesresults/round=15084/match=300201/index.html. Retrieved 16 June 2010. 
  90. ↑ "French star refuses Tunisia offer". BBC. 12 May 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/tunisia/4766957.stm. Retrieved 11 May 2006. 
  91. ↑ "Ben Arfa gets call ahead of Trezeguet". French League. 10 October 2007. http://www.frenchleague.com/ligue1/lireArticle.asp?idArticle=8970. Retrieved 11 May 2008. 
  92. ↑ "Trezeguet again left out by France". Cable News Network. 10 October 2007. http://www.cnn.com/2007/SPORT/football/11/08/football.france/index.html. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  93. ↑ "Vieira and Benzema left out". FIFA. 11 May 2010. http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=1209066/index.html#vieira+benzema+left. Retrieved 16 August 2010. 
  94. ↑ "Domenech picks Marseille's Valbuena but leaves Ben Arfa behind". France24. 17 May 2010. http://www.france24.com/en/20100517-football-world-cup-raymond-domenech-france-marseilles-valbuena-ben-arfa. Retrieved 16 August 2010. 
  95. ↑ "La carriere de Hatem BEN ARFA". Ligue de Football Professionnel. http://www.lfp.fr/joueur/index.asp?no_joueur=106097&page=carriere. Retrieved 16 August 2010. 
  96. ↑ "10. Hatem Ben Arfa" (in French). Olympique de Marseille. http://www.om.net/fr/Equipes/201002/Effectif_pro/1711/BEN_ARFA. Retrieved 16August 2010. 
  97. ↑ "Hatem Ben Arfa" (in French). OM Planete. http://www.omplanete.com/olympiquedemarseille/joueur241.html. Retrieved 16 August 2010. 
  98. ↑ Ben Arfa Hatem, fff.fr, accessed 16 June 2010

External links

Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year
1994: Zidane | 1995: Maurice | 1996: Pirès | 1997: Henry | 1998: Trezeguet | 1999: Monterrubio | 2000: Christanval | 2001: Govou | 2002: Cissé | 2003: Mathis | 2004: Evra | 2005: Toulalan | 2006: Ribéry | 2007: Nasri | 2008: Ben Arfa | 2009: Hazard | 2010: Hazard
Newcastle United F.C. – current squad

1 Harper · 2 Coloccini · 3 Enrique · 4 Nolan (c) · 5 Campbell · 6 Williamson · 7 Barton · 8 Guthrie · 9 Carroll · 10 Routledge · 11 Løvenkrands · 12 Simpson · 14 Perch · 15 Gosling · 16 R. Taylor · 17 Smith · 18 Gutiérrez · 19 Xisco · 20 Best · 23 Ameobi · 24 Tioté · 26 Krul · 27 S. Taylor · 28 Kádár · 29 Vučkić · 30 Ranger · 31 Ferguson · 32 Donaldson · 33 Söderberg · 34 Tavernier · 36 McDermott · 37 Ben Arfa · 39 Edmundsson · 47 Inman · Manager: Pardew