Hatem Ben Arfa, France footballer: Profile, Career, News & Videos

Hatem Ben Arfa is a French former professional footballer who played as a winger and attacking midfielder. Known for his flair and dribbling ability, Ben Arfa is regarded as a fan favourite with a cult following and one of the greatest dribblers of all time. He was once described as \"one of the best-rated talents in France\", but was also 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. After two years at Marseille, Ben Arfa joined English club Newcastle United on loan for the 2010–11 season. The deal was made permanent later in the season.

Ben Arfa spent four years at Newcastle, with a loan spell at Hull City in his final season at the club. He signed for Nice in January 2015 but was unable to make his debut until August, having already represented Newcastle United Reserves and Hull City the previous season. He scored 17 goals in 32 league appearances for Nice, attracting the interest of several European clubs, and signed for Paris Saint-Germain on 1 July 2016. After failing to make a competitive appearance in the 2017–18 season, Ben Arfa signed for Rennes, where he won the 2019 Coupe de France over Paris Saint-Germain. He then went on to play for Valladolid and Bordeaux, before joining Lille in 2022.

Ben Arfa is a former French youth international, and played at all levels for France. At the under-17 level, he was a part of the team that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He was called up to the senior team for the first time in October 2007, for a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match against the Faroe Islands. Ben Arfa made a total of fifteen appearances for France, scoring twice.