Ben Arfa Has Been Wrongly Portrayed, Says Claude Puel
Despite having a bad public image, people have the wrong impression of Hatem Ben Arfa, according to Claude Puel, his former manager at OGC Nice.
Ben Arfa is widely regarded as one of the most gifted French footballers of his generation who did not fulfill his enormous potential.
A lack of discipline is often cited for Ben Arfa’s failure to make the journey to the top.
The 33-year-old recently signed a short-term deal with Spanish La Liga side Real Valladolid, where he made two appearances before the season was suspended because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Nurtured in France’s famous Clairefontaine academy, Ben Arfa started his career at Olympique Lyon before moving on to the likes of Marseille and Newcastle United but his most successful season came under Puel at Nice in the 2015/2016 season.
Ben Arfa scored 17 Ligue 1 goals in 34 games to help Nice to fourth spot. He joined Paris Saint Germain after those superb performances but once again flattered to deceive before ending up at Rennes.
Former Leicester boss Puel is a huge fan of Ben Arfa and believes he has been wrongly portrayed.
“We talked for a long time,” Puel told Nice-Matin.
“I met a calm person, who loved football. He followed other games, he had ideas about the game.
“I found him to be a peaceful person, contrary to the image people are given about him: unmanageable, hostile. I didn’t see somebody who was messed up, that’s the most important thing.
“That was a great team in every position, but he was the best.”
Ben Arfa has been capped 15 times by the French national team, scoring two goals.
