Samir Nasri born 26 June 1987 is a French footballer who plays for Arsenal in the Premier League and the France national football team.
A youth product of Marseille, Nasri plays primarily as a winger, although he has also been deployed in central midfield in the absence of Cesc Fàbregas due to injury. During his time at boyhood club Marseille, Nasri's Algerian background, technical prowess and playmaking on the field earned him direct comparisons to French football great Zinedine Zidane – and the mantle of the 'French Pele'. In December 2010, he was named the French Player of the Year for his performances during the calendar year.
Nasri was a regular for France at the youth level and was a member of the country's UEFA Euro 2008 squad, though he saw limited playing time.
BIOGRAPHY
Nasri's parents moved to France from Algeria. His father is from Constantine and his mother is a native of Biskra. Nasri grew up in La Gavotte Peyret, a northern suburb of Marseille. He often played on the streets, where he learned many of his skills. His parents signed him up to the football club Pennes Mirabeau at the age of six. He spent two seasons at Pennes before being scouted by Olympique de Marseille in 1996.
INTERNATIONAL CAREERNasri has been involved in the French national set up for a long time, progressing through the Under-16s, 17s, 18s, 19s and 21s. He was part of the team that won the 2004 UEFA U-17 Championship, scoring the game-winning goal in the final match against a Spanish side that contained future team mate Cesc Fabregas. Nasri received his first cap for the senior team on 28 March 2007 against Austria, in a home friendly match at the age of 19. He delivered a free kick low into the box from which teammate Karim Benzema scored the only goal of the match. He scored his first senior international goal in his third appearance for the senior team in a 1–0 win against Georgia on 6 June 2007 in a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier. Nasri was named in Raymond Domenech's final squad for Euro 2008; at age 20, he was one of the youngest members of the French squad selected for the final tournament. He made two appearances as a substitute and played for 26 minutes, scoring 0 goals. However, he was left out of France's initial 30 man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He was recalled by new coach Laurent Blanc for the international friendly against Norway on 11 August 2010.
Personal information
Full name: Samir Nasri
Date of birth: 26 June 1987 (1987-06-26)
Place of birth: Marseille, France
Height: 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position: Attacking midfielder Winger
Club information
Current club: Arsenal
Number: 8
Youth career
1995–1997 Pennes Mirabeau
1997–2004 Marseille
Senior career*
2004–2008 Marseille 122 (11)
2008– Arsenal 77 (17)
National team‡
2002–2003 France U16 16 (8)
2003–2004 France U17 16 (6)
2004–2005 France U18 4 (0)
2005–2006 France U19 10 (5)
2006–2007 France U21 4 (0)
2007– France 19 (2)
