Lush Vlad Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Clearly had an attitude problem and a bit of a flawed genius. But I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed watching a player more when on song. I don’t think it’s outlandish to say he was the best dribbler in the world bar Messi, when he was on it. Always been a Tino man since when I first got a Toon shirt off my Great Uncle. But HBA is my favourite player, I think. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 1 hour ago, joeyt said: God, we're all getting so old Only one thing worse than getting old, mate Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBG Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Scored the odd goal but absolutely shocking at what he was brought in for. Makes Dan Burn look a decent left back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegans Export Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Had his fair share of flaws but during my short time as a season ticket holder (2010/11 to 2014/15) he was the player I most looked forward to watching in the flesh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanji Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 1 hour ago, ponsaelius said: That's all from that one season at Nice as well He played angry in a way that season, just fucking took the piss out of people every chance he could. Disrespected players by just beating them over and over and over again. Loved how he’d sometimes best people on the dribble. Slow down and do it again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRC Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 I try not to be a judgmental person, but anyone who didn't appreciate Hatem or think he was a trouble maker I can't talk too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holloway Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Can still draw a sigh from me how it panned out, thought he was a sensational player Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiquidAK Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 My favourite ever player tbh, just an absolute joy to watch. Bring him home. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikon Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 A player in the mould of HBA would be my dream signing for our right hand side. Would give us the perfect balance with Gordon on the left. There aren't many as talented as him though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 1 minute ago, Ikon said: A player in the mould of HBA would be my dream signing for our right hand side. Would give us the perfect balance with Gordon on the left. There aren't many as talented as him though Mahrez. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliottman Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 2 minutes ago, Ikon said: A player in the mould of HBA would be my dream signing for our right hand side. Would give us the perfect balance with Gordon on the left. There aren't many as talented as him though We were linked with that Turkish kid who ended up signing for Real Madrid in the summer - can’t remember his name. Looked to have a bit of Hatem about him iirc. Not sure if he gets any game time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikon Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Just now, Elliottman said: We were linked with that Turkish kid who ended up signing for Real Madrid in the summer - can’t remember his name. Looked to have a bit of Hatem about him iirc. Not sure if he gets any game time. I think i know the one.. Arda Guler. Got a serious injury quite early on. Think he will be class. Not sure how well he has recovered. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guybrush Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
timeEd32 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Easily one of my five favorite players and the highlight of the Ashley era for me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BergenMagpie Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 (edited) 4 hours ago, LFEE said: https://x.com/fun88eng/status/1765653251888734277?s=61 Were all the french refs running around in GK kits that season? Looked like some funny old FIFA bug where youd put your goalie on sweeper/attacking and he started running around like an attacking midfielder leaving the goal open Love HBA Edited March 7 by BergenMagpie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanegg Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Gutted I never got to see him in the flesh. Was screaming at the telly every time he got the ball. Not had that with a player since. That West Brom game will live a long memory for me. Yes he was probably a bit of a pain in the arse, but he was a player you have to build around. Pardew and him were never gonna see eye to eye. I don’t think Eddie would have been a major fan either. Keegan on the other hand would of been perfect for him imo. Happy Birthday Hataaaammm. Would love to see him at St James at half time one day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
duo Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 12 hours ago, LFEE said: https://x.com/fun88eng/status/1765653251888734277?s=61 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 Must have been great being a Nice season-ticket holder that year. Literally took the piss out of any opposition. He should have just stayed there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cronky Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 43 minutes ago, Optimistic Nut said: Must have been great being a Nice season-ticket holder that year. Literally took the piss out of any opposition. He should have just stayed there. Dodgy use of the word 'literally' there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyt Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 (edited) Quote 'I was a Premier League cult hero - now I've quit football and am excelling in another sport' A former Premier League ace is making waves in a new sporting arena after seemingly calling time on his football career. Hatem Ben Arfa, once a shining light at Newcastle United, hasn't officially hung up his boots but has been without a club since parting ways with Lille in 2022 following a fallout with boss Jocelyn Gourvennec. The talented playmaker, who also turned out for top clubs like Lyon, Marseille, Hull City, Nice, and Paris Saint-Germain during his time in England and France, is now 37 and has taken a swing at padel - a sport akin to tennis but played on a more intimate court. Impressively, Ben Arfa has notched up 70 tournament wins in just one year. By the close of 2023, he was said to be ranked within the top 1,500 of 42,000 competitive players globally Roland Mermillod, a top official in padel, offered fans an insight into Ben Arfa's dedication to his new passion. In an interview with Le Parisien, Mermillod said: "Hatem doesn't do anything more than that. He plays almost every day." Despite a noteworthy career on the football pitch, there was always the feeling Ben Arfa did not fully tap into his vast potential. His fitness and lifestyle choices off the field often drew criticism from those in football. The player's ex-agent, Frederic Guerra, didn't hold back during a candid interview with RMC Sport. He said: "It's a psychological thing from his childhood. He was king, king, king. He was always told what he deserves but never told to work. I was convinced that I had a player that, if we worked on his mind, would win the Ballon d'Or. "He was so talented. It's a huge waste maybe the biggest waste in football of the 21st century. "There are plenty of players that were told early on that they would be pearls and still made it. Cristiano Ronaldo became a huge worker early on, Karim Benzema took exactly the same route. "It takes work, talent is not enough." If Ben Arfa was to retire from football tomorrow, he will leave with an impressive trophy collection. He has won five Ligue 1 titles, three French Cups, and three French League Cups over the course of his career with Olympique Lyon, Marseille and PSG. Ben Arfa's last match was a 0-0 draw against Bordeaux while playing for Lille, all the way back in February 2022. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/football/i-was-a-premier-league-cult-hero-now-i-ve-quit-football-and-am-excelling-in-another-sport/ar-BB1mvtZV?ocid=msedgntp&pc=LCTS&cvid=3d50b6513917490ca1f0e83f40eb2adc&ei=4 Edited May 16 by joeyt Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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