Samir Nasri – Where did it all go Wrong?

Samir Nasri was once young, brilliant, and attractive, and the opportunities appeared limitless. However, the playmaker, who used to receive underwear in the mail from his female fans, was sent packing by Manchester City to Antalyaspor in Turkey.

Pep Guardiola’s side were happy to take a £25 million loss on a player who has only  turned 30 that time.  Samir Nasri found himself at a club with a slew of ex-players. These include Jeremy Menez and Johan Djourou, as well as a 36-year-old Samuel Eto’o.

Indeed, the Turkish club paid no money up front for the player; instead, his whole sum is made up of performance-related bonuses.

He originally broke through with Marseille, where he played over 120 games in four years before going to Arsenal for £12 million when he was still a youngster.

he could do anything with the ball: stepovers, dribble, and shoot with either hand. Freddy Assolen, a Marseille scout who discovered the boy through word of mouth as a nine-year-old, stated, “I wasn’t even sure whether he was left or right-footed.”

Samir Nasri was back on the pitch playing for Marseille in a charity game 😃

He announced his retirement just last month pic.twitter.com/ZNUJsYbLbo

— Goal Asia (@Goal_Asia_) October 14, 2021

The assured teenager had little trouble adjusting to the demands of first-team football from the start, so it came as a surprise to see him transfer to England so fast, with Arsene Wenger’s reputation for nurturing young talents, particularly those from his homeland, a natural home.

Samir Nasri Premier League Career

He was voted French Footballer of the Year in 2010, and he had a fantastic season at the Emirates the following season, scoring 10 goals in total.

“This is Arsene Wenger’s offering to you.” He persuades players that they can continue to improve. Former Arsenal midfielder Gilles Grimandi told the BBC that Arsene made him believe he could score more goals, get more engaged in attacks, and offer more assists.

Nasri, on the other hand, was to reject this gift, leaving for “psychological and financial reasons,” as Wenger put it at the time.

He would never again achieve the heights he did in the 2010-11 season.

The Nasri Problem

Nasri’s problem has always been, first and foremost, himself.

Problems began to emerge as early as 2008, when he was accused of snatching the seat of senior player Thierry Henry from the France team coach at the European Championship. He was accused of being insolent, along with several other younger members of the squad.

“What went wrong?” – These football fans stunned as Samir Nasri unveils new rotund look in charity match https://t.co/qi7iexBEuF

— Sports Informer (@Sportsinformer3) October 13, 2021

At such a young age, it’s understandable that he lacked maturity, especially after being branded the ‘next Zidane.’ He had grown up as a hero in his football-crazed birthplace of Marseille. This is where he was well-known by the age of 11 or 12 due to his natural abilities. It did, however, prove to be one of the key factors that kept him from rising to the level of actual greatness.

Despite his excellent form, he was unable to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. “Perhaps it was for the best in the end, and not just because France had a poor World Cup performance.” It aided my development as a person. “I told myself I had to work harder if I didn’t want to miss the next one,” he explained.

Nasri, on the other hand, missed the following one, and similar allegations about his personality have been highlighted as one of the main reasons why City were eager to loan him to Sevilla last season and delighted to have him taken off their hands permanently that summer.

Samir Nasri declared his retirement from the sport of football back in September of this year.

Anderlecht, the Belgian club where the former France international last played, released him in 2020 after signing him on a free transfer in 2019.