It’s been four years since Hatem Ben Arfa disappeared from the radar, and L’Equipe Explore devoted a very long format to the former little prodigy of French football. Where what emerges, beyond his contrasting personality, is that the former OM and PSG player had a tendency to alienate his teammates.
Sometimes it was even his talent that was difficult to manage. What the Lyonnais understood from the first training session, where Ben Arfa “went dribbles all the captains: small bridges, sombreros, the whole thing, he drove them crazy”tells an amused Sidney Govou.
“Sometimes he had reactions, you said to yourself: he’s not going to do that anyway? And he did it, continues the elder Gone. He didn’t always seem to know how to behave around others. In fact, he gave the impression of discovering everything that was not strictly related to football. »
When Ben Arfa attacks the OL star…
Ben Arfa didn’t always have the codes. And if those who knew him describe an endearing boy, most admit that he was not free from all reproaches. The proof with this episode at the training of the great OL.
“After a few months, Hatem had alienated all the pros, says Frédéric Guerra, his first agent. He was so strong that he humiliated the elders in the locker room without even realizing it. On the other hand, sometimes he became really disrespectful. One day, Juninho asked him to pick up the equipment with the other young people and Hatem replied: ‘You’re just a free-kick taker, you don’t give me orders.’ » An ugly tackle for the man who is considered the greatest player in OL history…
