page_title: Samir Nasri
section_title: 2009–10 season
hierarchical_section_title: Samir Nasri / Club career / Arsenal / 2009–10 season
caption_attribution_description: Nasri prepares to whip one in
context_page_description: Samir Nasri is a French professional footballer who is currently a free agent, having most recently played for Belgian club Anderlecht. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger, although he has also been deployed in central midfield. He was suspended from football for eighteen months until January 2019 following a doping violation.
  Nasri is known for his dribbling, ball control and passing ability. He is described as a player whose "vision and imagination make him an unpredictable opponent". His playing style, ability and cultural background have drawn comparisons to French legend Zinedine Zidane.
  Nasri began his football career playing for local youth clubs in his hometown Marseille. At age nine, he joined professional club Olympique de Marseille and spent the next seven years developing in the club's youth academy at La Commanderie, the club's training centre. In the 2004–05 season, he made his professional debut in September 2004 at age 17 against Sochaux. In the following season, he became a regular starter in the team and also participated in European competition for the first time after playing in the 2005–06 edition of the UEFA Cup.
context_section_description: On 21 July 2009, while participating in a training match during pre-season with Arsenal in Bad Waltersdorf, Nasri suffered a broken leg. The injury required two to three months of rest and, as a result, Nasri missed the opening of the 2009–10 Premier League season. He made his debut late in the campaign on 25 October 2009 in a League Cup tie against Liverpool. Nasri played the entire match in a 2–1 win. On 4 November, he scored his first goal of the season in the team's 2009–10 UEFA Champions League group stage match against AZ. Three weeks later, Nasri converted another Champions League goal, this time against Standard Liège in a 2–0 win. He featured heavily with the team during the winter months and he ended the 2009 calendar year by scoring a goal and providing an assist 4–1 win over Portsmouth away at Fratton Park.
  After going nearly two months without scoring a goal, Nasri marked his goal-scoring return in emphatic fashion in the team's 5–0 second leg victory over Porto in the round of 16 of the Champions League knockout stage. The goal, described by English newspaper The Guardian columnist David Lacey as "reminiscent of a lost art in British football", showcased Nasri's dribbling, as well as his individuality. Upon receiving the ball on the right wing from midfielder Abou Diaby, Nasri dribbled through and past three Porto players in a small area of space before bringing the ball past wing-back Álvaro Pereira and driving it across the goalkeeper, sending the ball in off the far post. Nasri goal was subsequently compared by the English media to similar goals that occurred in the country. Three weeks later, after appearing as a substitute in the second half, Nasri scored the opening goal against Birmingham City. Birmingham later equalized through a late goal from Kevin Phillips. The draw ended a string of seven consecutive league victories for Arsenal and Wenger admitted that the draw "was a big blow for our chances [of winning the league]". In the team's final seven league matches, Nasri assisted on goals in a 3–2 loss to Wigan Athletic and a 4–0 home win over Fulham. Arsenal ultimately finished the campaign in third place. Nasri concluded his second season at Arsenal appearing in 34 matches, scoring five goals and providing five assists.
caption: Nasri taking a corner kick for Arsenal.
exif: {}