Ben Arfa :: Hatem Ben Arfa

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Hatem Ben Arfa (Arabic: حاتم بن عرفة, French pronunciation: ; born 7 March 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger and attacking midfielder. He is currently a free agent. Known for his flair and dribbling ability, Ben Arfa is regarded as a fan favourite with a cult following. He was once described as "one of the best-rated talents in France" but has been criticised by the media and players alike for lacking discipline. Ben Arfa's career started in the Île-de-France region, where he trained at Boulogne-Billancourt and Versailles. In 1999, he was selected to attend the Clairefontaine academy. He spent three years there before leaving for Lyon, where he won four Ligue 1 titles. In his early career at Lyon, he played as a centre forward but moved into a striker role during the 2007–08 season. In the summer of 2008, Ben Arfa signed with rivals Marseille for €11 million in a move that 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. Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License - Full article