In the history of the French championship, many players have worn the colors of Lyon and Marseille. From Florian Maurice to Mathieu Valbuena, including Pascal Olmeta, Daniel Bravo, Alou Diarra and Sonny Anderson, the two Olympics were a bridge for the big names of Ligue 1. In this closed circle, an artist will keep a very unique place : Hatem Ben Arfa. Trained at OL after his time at INF Clairefontaine, the most fanciful dribbler in French football then had a notable stint at OM, where his stormy relationships with Eric Gerets then Didier Deschamps made spill a lot of ink. Ben Arfa is a character apart. But it is also and above all a unique talent. Souleymane Diawara played alongside the artist during his period at OM. He hasn’t forgotten anything.

This artist who left his mark

“When Hatem (Ben Arfa) wanted to hurt, he was at the level of (Lionel) Messi, he did what he wanted. If he was in that spirit, the order between us was: ‘As soon as we have the ball, we give it to Hatem’.” recalled the former central defender. As a reminder, Hatem Ben Arfa played in Marseille between 2008 and 2010. He will leave the image of a player as talented as he is undisciplined.