Porto (), also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits (an area of 41.66 km²/16 sq.mi) includes a population of 237,559 (2011) inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes. The urbanized area of Porto, which extends beyond the administrative limits of the city, has a population of 1.2 million (2011)in an area of , making it the second-largest urban area in Portugal. The Porto Metropolitan Area includes approximately 1.3 million people, and is recognized as a Gamma-level global city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) Study Group, being one of the four cities in the peninsula with global city status (the others being Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon).

Located along the Douro river estuary in northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest European centres, and registered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. Its settlement dates back many centuries, when it was an outpost of the Roman Empire. Its Latin name, Portus Cale, has been referred to as the origin for the name "Portugal," based on transliteration and oral evolution from Latin. In Portuguese the city is spelled with a definite article as ''"o Porto"'' (). Consequently, its English name evolved from a misinterpretation of the oral pronunciation and referred to as ''"Oporto"'' in modern literature and by many speakers.

One of Portugal's internationally famous exports, port wine, is named for Porto, since the metropolitan area, and in particular the ''adegas'' of Vila Nova de Gaia, were responsible for the production and export of the fortified wine.

History

Early history

The history of Porto dates back to the 4th century, to the Roman occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. Celtic and Proto-Celtic ruins have been discovered in several areas, and their occupation has been dated to about 275 BC. During the Roman occupation, the city developed as an important commercial port, primarily in the trade between Olissipona (the modern Lisbon) and Bracara Augusta (the modern Braga).

Porto fell under the control of the Moors during the invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in AD 711. In 868, Vímara Peres, a Christian warlord from Gallaecia, and a vassal of the King of Asturias, Léon and Galicia, Alfonso III, was sent to reconquer and secure the lands from the Moors. This included the area from the Minho to the Douro River: the settlement of ''Portus Cale'' and the area that is today known as Vila Nova de Gaia. Portus Cale, later referred to as Portucale, was the origin for the modern name of Portugal. In 868 Count Vímara Peres established the First County of Portugal, or (), usually known as Condado Portucalense after reconquering the region north of Douro.

In 1387, Porto was the site of the marriage of John I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt; this symbolized a long-standing military alliance between Portugal and England. The Portuguese-English alliance,(see the Treaty of Windsor (1386)) is the world's oldest recorded military alliance.

In the 14th and the 15th centuries, Porto's shipyards contributed to the development of Portuguese shipbuilding. It was also from the port of Porto that, in 1415, Prince Henry the Navigator (son of John I of Portugal) embarked on the conquest of the Moorish port of Ceuta, in northern Morocco. This expedition by the King and his fleet, which counted amongst others Prince Henry, was followed by navigation and exploration along the western coast of Africa, initiating the Portuguese Age of Discovery. The nickname given to the people of Porto began in those days; Portuenses are to this day, colloquially, referred to as ''tripeiros'' (), referring to this period of history, when higher-quality cuts of meat were shipped from Porto with their sailors, while off-cuts and by-products, such as tripe, were left behind for the citizens of Porto: tripe remains a culturally important dish in modern day Porto.

18th century

Wine, produced in the Douro valley, was already in the 13th century transported to Porto in ''barcos rabelos'' (flat sailing vessels). In 1703 the Methuen Treaty established the trade relations between Portugal and England. In 1717, a first English trading post was established in Porto. The production of port wine then gradually passed into the hands of a few English firms. To counter this English dominance, Prime Minister Marquis of Pombal established a Portuguese firm receiving the monopoly of the wines from the Douro valley. He demarcated the region for production of port, to ensure the wine's quality; this was the first attempt to control wine quality and production in Europe. The small winegrowers revolted against his strict policies on Shrove Tuesday, burning down the buildings of this firm. The revolt was called ''Revolta dos Borrachos'' (revolt of the drunks).

Between 1732 and 1763, Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni designed a baroque church with a tower that would become its architectural and visual icon: the Torre dos Clérigos (English: Clerics Tower). During the 18th and 19th centuries the city became an important industrial centre and saw its size and population increase.

19th century

The invasion of the Napoleonic troops in Portugal under Marshal Soult also brought war to the city of Porto. On 29 March 1809, as the population fled from the advancing troops and tried to cross the river Douro over the ''Ponte das Barcas'' (a pontoon bridge), the bridge collapsed under the weight. This event is still remembered by a plate at the Ponte D. Luis I. The French army was rooted out of Porto by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, when his troops crossed the Douro river from the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar (a former convent) in a brilliant daylight coup de main, using wine barges to transport the troops, so outflanking the French Army. In August 1820, Porto rebelled against the English presence. A Civil War took place in early 20's between those supporting Constitutionalism and a change of regime, and those opposed to this change, keen on near-absolutism and led by D.Miguel. In 1822, a liberal constitution was accepted, partly through the efforts of the liberal assembly of Porto (Junta do Porto). When Miguel of Portugal took the Portuguese throne in 1828, he rejected this constitution and reigned as an absolutist monarch. Porto rebelled again and had to undergo a siege of eighteen months between 1832 and 1833 by the absolutist army. Porto is also called "Cidade Invicta" (English: Unvanquished City) after resisting the Miguelist siege. After the abdication of King Miguel, the liberal constitution was re-established.

Known as the city of bridges, Porto built its first permanent bridge, the ''Ponte das Barcas'' (a pontoon bridge), in 1806. Three years later it was sabotaged. It was replaced by the Ponte D. Maria II, popularised under the name ''Ponte Pênsil'' (suspended bridge) and built between 1841–43; only its supporting pylons have remained.

The ''Ponte D. Maria'', a railway bridge, was inaugurated the 4th of November of that same year; it was considered a feat of wrought iron engineering and was designed by Gustave Eiffel, notable for his Parisian tower. The later Ponte Dom Luís I replaced the aforementioned Ponte Pênsil. This last bridge was made by Teophile Seyrig, a former partner of Eiffel. Seyrig won a governmental competition that took place in 1879. Building began in 1881 and the bridge was opened to the public on 31 October 1886.

Unrest by Republicans led to a revolt in Porto on 31 January 1891. This would result ultimately in the creation of the Portuguese Republic in 1910.

A higher learning institution in nautical sciences (Aula de Náutica, 1762) and a stock exchange (Bolsa do Porto, 1834) were established in the city, but would be discontinued later.

20th century

In 1958 and 1960, Porto's streets hosted the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix.

The historic centre of Porto was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. The World Heritage site is defined in two concentric zones; the "Protected area", and within it the "Classified area". The Classified area comprises the medieval borough located inside the 14th-century Romanesque wall.

Geography

In recent years, UNESCO recognised its historic centre as a World Heritage Site. Among the architectural highlights of the city, Oporto Cathedral is the oldest surviving structure, together with the small romanesque Church of Cedofeita, the gothic Igreja de São Francisco (Church of Saint Francis), the remnants of the city walls and a few 15th-century houses. The baroque style is well represented in the city in the elaborate gilt work interior decoration of the churches of St. Francis and St. Claire (''Santa Clara''), the churches of Mercy (''Misericórida'') and of the Clerics (''Igreja dos Clérigos''), the Episcopal Palace of Porto, and others. The neoclassicism and romanticism of the 19th and 20th centuries also added interesting monuments to the landscape of the city, like the magnificent Stock Exchange Palace (''Palácio da Bolsa''), the Hospital of Saint Anthony, the Municipality, the buildings in the Liberdade Square and the''Avenida dos Aliados'', the tile-adorned São Bento Train Station and the gardens of the Crystal Palace (''Palácio de Cristal''). A guided visit to the Palácio da Bolsa, and in particular the Arab Room, is a major tourist attraction.

Many of the city's oldest houses are at risk of collapsing. The population in Porto municipality dropped by nearly 100,000 since the 1980s, but the number of permanent residents in the outskirts and satellite towns has grown strongly.

Porto is ranked number 3 in the Portuguese most livable cities survey of living conditions published yearly by Expresso.

Administratively, the historic city of Porto is divided into 15 civil parishes:

*Aldoar

Bonfim (Porto)>Bonfim

*Campanhã

*Cedofeita

*Foz do Douro

Lordelo do Ouro

*Massarelos

Miragaia (Porto)>Miragaia

Nevogilde (Porto)>Nevogilde

Paranhos (Porto)>Paranhos

*Ramalde

São Nicolau (Porto)>São Nicolau

Santo Ildefonso (Porto)>Santo Ildefonso

Sé (Porto)>Sé

Vitória (Porto)>Vitória

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Porto is twinned with:

* Bordeaux, France

Bristol, England, United Kingdom>UK

* Pernik, Bulgaria

* Duruelo de la Sierra, Castile and León, Spain

* Jena, Germany

León, Spain>León, Castile and León, Spain

* Liège, Belgium

* Macau, Macau

* Shanghai, People's Republic of China

* Nagasaki, Japan

Vigo, Galicia (Spain)>Galicia, Spain

Partner towns

Within the context of development cooperation, Porto is also linked to:

	* Belo Horizonte, Brazil	Beira, Mozambique>Beira, Mozambique	* Luanda, Angola	* Mindelo, Cape Verde			Neves, São Tomé and Príncipe>Neves, São Tomé and Príncipe	* Ndola, Zambia	* Recife, Brazil	* Akhisar, Turkey

Climate

Porto features the warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb). As a result, its climate shares many characteristics with the coastal south: warm, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Unlike the south, however, cool and rainy interludes can interrupt the dry season and the season's average length is usually shorter.

Summers are typically sunny with average temperatures between and but can rise to as high as during occasional heat waves. During such heat waves the humidity remains quite low but nearby forest fires can add haze and ash to the air making breathing somewhat uncomfortable, especially at night. Nearby beaches are often windy and usually cooler than the urban areas. In contrast, occasional summer rainy periods may last a few days and are characterised by showers and cool temperatures of around in the afternoon.

Winter temperatures typically range between during morning and in the afternoon but rarely drop below at night. The weather is often rainy for long stretches although prolonged sunny periods do occur.

Economy

Porto has always rivaled Lisbon in economic power. As the most important city in the heavily industrialised northwest, many of the largest Portuguese corporations from diverse economic sectors, like Altri, Ambar, Amorim, Bial, Cerealis, BPI, CIN, EFACEC, Frulact, Lactogal, Millennium bcp, Porto Editora, Grupo RAR, Sonae, Sonae Indústria, and Unicer, are headquartered in the Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto, most notably, in the core municipalities of Maia, Matosinhos, Porto, and Vila Nova de Gaia.

The country's biggest exporter (Petrogal) has one of its two refineries near the city, in Leça da Palmeira (13 km) and the second biggest (Qimonda, now bankrupt) has its only factory also near the city in Mindelo (26 km).

The city's former stock exchange (Bolsa do Porto) was transformed into the largest derivatives exchange of Portugal, and merged with Lisbon Stock Exchange to create the Bolsa de Valores de Lisboa e Porto, which eventually merged with Euronext, together with Amsterdam, Brussels, LIFFE and Paris stock and futures exchanges. The building formerly hosting the stock exchange is currently one of the city's touristic attractions, the Salão Árabe (Arab Room in English) being its major highlight.

Porto hosts a popular Portuguese newspaper, ''Jornal de Notícias''. The building where its offices are located (which has the same name as the newspaper) was up to recently one of the tallest in the city (it has been superseded by a number of modern buildings which have been built since the 1990s).

Porto Editora, one of the biggest Portuguese publishers, is also in Porto. Its dictionaries are among the most popular references used in the country, and the translations are very popular as well.

The economic relations between the city of Porto and the Upper Douro River have been documented since the Middle Ages. However, they were greatly deepened in the modern ages. Indeed, sumach, dry fruits and nuts and the Douro olive oils sustained prosperous exchanges between the region and Porto. From the riverside quays at the river mouth, these products were exported to other markets of the Old and New World. But the greatest lever to interregional trade relations resulted from the commercial dynamics of the Port wine (''Vinho do Porto'') agro industry. It decidedly bolstered the complementary relationship between the large coastal urban centre, endowed with open doors to the sea, and a region with significant agricultural potential, especially in terms of the production of extremely high quality fortified wines, today known by the world-famous label ''Port''. The development of Porto was also closely connected with the left margin of River Douro in Vila Nova de Gaia, where is located the amphitheatre-shaped slope with the Port wine cellars.

In a study concerning competitiveness of the 18 Portuguese district capitals, Porto was the worst-ranked. The study was made by Minho University economics researchers and was published in Público newspaper on 30 September 2006. The best-ranked cities in the study were Évora, Lisbon and Coimbra. Nevertheless, the validity of this study was questioned by some Porto's notable figures (such as local politicians and businesspersons) who argued that the city proper does not function independently but in conurbation with other municipalities. A new ranking, published in the newspaper Expresso (Portuguese Newspaper) in 2007 which can be translated to "The Best Cities to Live in Portugal" ranked Porto in third place (tied with Évora) below Guimarães and Lisbon. The two studies are not directly comparable as they use different dependent measures.

Transport

Roads and bridges

The road system capacity is augmented by the ''Via de Cintura Interna'' or A20, an internal highway connected to several motorways and city exits, complementing the ''Circunvalação'' 4-lane peripheric road, which borders the north of the city and connects the eastern side of the city to the Atlantic shore. The city is connected to Valença by highway A28, to Estarreja by the A29, to Lisbon by the A1, to Amarante by the A4 and to Braga by the A3. There is also an outer-ring road the A41 that connects all the main cities around Porto, linking the city to other major metropolitan highways such as the A7, A11, A42, A43 and A44. In the future a new highway, the A32, is to connect the city to São João da Madeira.

During the 20th century, major bridges were built: ''Arrábida Bridge'', which at its opening had the biggest concrete supporting arch in the world, and connects north and south shores of the Douro on the west side of the city, ''S. João'', to replace ''D. Maria Pia'' and ''Freixo'', a highway bridge on the east side of the city. The newest bridge is ''Ponte do Infante'', finished in 2003. Two more bridges are said to be under designing stages and due to be built in the next 10 years, one on the Campo Alegre area, nearby the Faculty of Humanities and the Arts, and another one in the area known as the Massarelos valley.

Nowadays, Porto is often known as ''Cidade das Pontes'' (City of Bridges), "Cidade Invicta" (Invincible City) and "Capital do Norte" (The Capital of the North).

Airports

Porto is served by Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport which is located in Pedras Rubras, Moreira civil parish of the neighbouring Municipality of Maia, some 15 km to the north-west of the city centre. The airport is a state-of-the-art facility, having undergone a massive programme of refurbishment due to the Euro 2004 football championships being partly hosted in the city.

Public transport

;Railways Porto's main railway station is situated in Campanhã, located in the eastern part of the city (connecting to the lines of Douro (Peso da Régua/Tua/Pocinho), Minho (Barcelos/Viana do Castelo/Valença) and Norte (on the main line to Aveiro, Coimbra and Lisbon). From here, both light rail and suburban rail services connect to the city centre. The main central station is São Bento Station, which is itself a notable landmark located in the heart of Porto.

;Subway/Light rail Currently the major project is the Porto Metro, a light rail system. Consequently, the Infante bridge was built for urban traffic, replacing the Dom Luís I, which was dedicated to the subway on the second and higher of the bridge's two levels. Six lines are open: lines A (blue), B (red), C (green) and E (purple) all begin at Estádio do Dragão (home to FC Porto) and terminate at Senhor de Matosinhos, Póvoa de Varzim (via Vila do Conde), ISMAI (via Maia) and Francisco Sá Carneiro airport respectively. Line D (yellow) currently runs from Hospital S. João in the north to D. João II on the southern side of the Douro river. Line F (orange), from Senhora da Hora (Matosinhos) to Fânzeres (Gondomar). The lines intersect at the central Trindade station. Currently the whole network spans 60 km (37 miles) using 68 stations, thus being the biggest metro system in the country.

! colspan="6"
	Length(km)	Stations	Inauguration	Vehicle
	bgcolor=#0083D7	15,6	23	December 7 of 2002	Flexity Outlook (Eurotram)
	bgcolor=#E62621	33,6	35	March 13 of 2005	Flexity Swift (Tram-train)
	bgcolor=#6EAB24	19,6	24	July 30 of 2005	Flexity Swift (Tram-train)
	bgcolor=#FFA700	9,2	16	September 18 of 2005	Flexity Outlook (Eurotram)
	bgcolor=#645A95	16,7	21	May 27 of 2006	Flexity Outlook (Eurotram)
	bgcolor=#FA6914	17,4	24	January 2 of 2011	Flexity Outlook (Eurotram)

;Buses The city has an extensive bus network run by the STCP (Sociedade dos Transportes Colectivos do Porto, or Porto Public Transport Society) which also operates lines in the neighbouring cities of Gaia, Maia and Gondomar. Other smaller companies connect such towns as Paços de Ferreira and Santo Tirso to the town center. In the past the city also had trolleybuses. A bus journey is 1.50 Euro, which can be paid in cash.

;Trams A tram network, of which only four lines remain one of them being a tourist line on the shores of the Douro, saw its construction begin in 12 September 1895, therefore being the first in the Iberian Peninsula. The lines in operation today all use vintage tramcars, so the service has become a heritage tramway. STCP also operates these routes. The first line of the area's modern-tram, or light rail system, named ''Metro do Porto'', opened for revenue service in January 2003 (after a brief period of free, introductory service in December 2002).

Culture

In 2001, Porto shared the designation European Culture Capital. In the scope of these events, the construction of the major concert hall space Casa da Música, designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, was initiated and finished in 2005.

The first Portuguese moving pictures were taken in Porto by Aurélio da Paz dos Reis and shown there on 12 November 1896 in Teatro do Príncipe Real do Porto, less than a year after the first public presentation by Auguste and Louis Lumière. The country's first movie studios Invicta Filmes was also erected in Porto in 1917 and was open from 1918 to 1927 in the area of Carvalhido. Manoel de Oliveira, a Portuguese film director and the oldest director in the world who is still active, is from Porto. Fantasporto is an internationalfilm festival organized in Porto every year.

Many renowned Portuguese music artists and cult bands such as GNR, Rui Veloso, Sérgio Godinho, Clã, Pluto and Ornatos Violeta are from the city or its metropolitan area. Porto has several museums, concert halls, theaters, cinemas, art galleries, libraries and book shops. The best-known museums of Oporto are the National Museum Soares dos Reis (''Museu Nacional de Soares dos Reis''), which is dedicated especially to the Portuguese artistic movements from the 16th to the 20th century, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Serralves Foundation (''Museu de Arte Contemporânea'').

The city has concert halls of a rare beauty and elegance such as the ''Coliseu do Porto'' by the Portuguese architect Cassiano Branco; an exquisite example of the Portuguesedecorative arts. Other notable venues include the historical São João National Theatre, the ''Rivoli'' theatre, the ''Batalha cinema'' and the recent''Casa da Música''. The city has a magnificent, and beautiful bookshop, "Lello", that was featured in third place in The Guardian's list of world's top bookshops. From the three top bookshops, Lello was the only one that was originally built to be a bookshop, as the other ones were, respectively, a church and a theatre.

Entertainment

Porto's most popular event is St. John (São João Festival) on the night of 23–24 June. In this season it's a tradition to have a vase with bush basil decorated with a small poem. During the dinner of the great day people usually eat sardines and boiled potatoes together with red wine.

Another major event is Queima das Fitas, that starts in the first Sunday of May and ends in the second Sunday of the month. Basically, before the beginning of the study period preceding the school year’s last exams, academia tries to have as much fun as possible. The week comprehends 12 events, starting with the Monumental Serenata on Sunday, reaching its peak with the Cortejo Académico on Tuesday, when about 50,000 students of the city's higher education institutions march through the downtown streets till they reach the city hall. During every night of the week a series of concerts takes place on the Queimódromo, next to the city’s park; here it’s also a tradition for the students in the second last year to erect small tents where alcoholic beverages are sold in order to finance the trip that takes place during the last year of their course; an average of 50 000 students attend these shows.

Arts

In 2005, the municipality funded a public sculpture to be built in the Waterfront Plaza of Matosinhos. The resulting sculpture is entitled ''She Changes'' by American artist, Janet Echelman, and spans the height of 50 × 150 × 150 meters.

Architecture

Due to its prolonged existence, the city of Porto carries an immense architectural patrimony. From the Romanesque Cathedral to the Social Housing projects developed through the late 20th century, much could be said surrounding Architecture.

Porto is home to the Porto School of Architecture, one of the most prestigious architecture schools in Europe and the world. It is also home to two earners of the Pritzker Architecture Prize (two former students of the aforementioned school): Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto de Moura.

Gastronomy

Porto is home to a number of dishes from traditional Portuguese cuisine.

A typical dish from this city is ''Tripas à Moda do Porto'' (Tripes Porto style), which still can be found everywhere in the city today.

''Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá'' (Gomes de Sá Bacalhau) is another typical codfish dish born in Porto and popular in Portugal.

The ''Francesinha'' - literally Frenchy, or more accurately ''little French'' (female) - is the most famous popular native snack food in Porto. It is a kind of sandwich with several meats covered with cheese and a special sauce made with beer and other ingredients.

Port wine, an internationally renowned wine, is widely accepted as the city's dessert wine, especially being that the wine is made along the Douro River which runs through the city.

Education

The city has a large number of public and private basic and secondary schools, as well as kindergartens and nurseries. Due to the depopulation of the city's interior, however, the number of students has dropped substantially in the last decade, forcing a closure of some institutions. The largest and oldest international school located in Porto is the Oporto British School established in 1894.

Porto has several institutions of higher education, the largest one being the state-managed University of Porto (''Universidade do Porto''), which is the largest Portuguese university with approximately 28,000 students. There are also a state-managed polytechnic institute, the Instituto Politécnico do Porto (a group of technical colleges), and privately owned institutions like the Universidade Fernando Pessoa (UFP), the Porto's Higher Education School of Arts (''ESAP- Escola Superior Artística do Porto'') and a Vatican state university, the Portuguese Catholic University at Porto (''Universidade Católica Portuguesa – Porto'') and the Portucalense University at Porto (''Universidade Portucalense – Infante D. Henrique''). Due to the recognition, potential for employment and higher revenue, there are many students from the entire country and particularly from the north of Portugal, attending a college or university in Porto.

For foreigners wishing to study Portuguese in the city, there are a number of options. As the most popular city in Portugal for ERASMUS students, most universities have facilities to assist foreigners in learning the language. There are also several private learning institutions in the city, such as the Fast Forward Language Institute

Public health

Porto district has the highest rate of tuberculosis positive cases in Portugal. Porto tuberculosis rates are at Third World proportions (comparatively, London faces a similar phenomenon ). The incidence of positive cases was 23/100 000 nationwide in 1994, with a rate of 24/100 000 in Lisbon and 37/100 000 in Porto. Porto area represented the worst epidemiological situation in the country, with very high rates in some city boroughs and in some poor fishing and declining industrial communities. Epidemiological analysis indicated the existence of undisclosed sources of infection in these communities, responsible for continuing transmission despite a cure rate of 83% in the district. In 2002, the situation was not better with 34/100 000 nationwide and 64/100 000 in Porto district. In 2004 the situation improved to 53/100 000.

Sport

Porto, in addition to football, is the home to many athletic sports arenas, most notably the city-owned Pavilhão Rosa Mota, swimming pools in the area of ''Constituição'' (between the ''Marquês'' and ''Boavista''), and other minor arenas, such as the ''Pavilhão do Académico''.

Porto is home to northern Portugal's only cricket club, the Oporto Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club. Annually, for more than 100 years, a match (the Kendall Cup) has been played between the Oporto Club and the Casuals Club of Lisbon, in addition to sporadic games against touring teams (mainly from England). The club's pitch is located off the ''Rua Campo Alegre''.

In 1958 and 1960, Porto's streets hosted the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix on the Boavista street circuit, which are reenacted annually, in addition to a World Touring Car Championship race.

Every year in October the Porto Marathon is held through the streets of the old city of Porto.

Football

As in most Portuguese cities, football is the most important sport. There are three main teams in Porto: FC Porto, Boavista and Salgueiros. FC Porto is one of the Big Three, and a major club in Europe. Boavista is considered the second club in the city, having won the championship once, in the 2000-2001 season, but the club had financial and disciplinary problems and was demoted 2 tiers. Salgueiros was a regular first division club during the 1980s and 1990s but, due to financial indebtedness, nowadays plays at regional level championships (5th tier or lower).

The biggest stadiums in the city are the Estádio do Dragão and the Estádio do Bessa. The first team in Porto to own a stadium was Académico, who played in the ''Estádio do Lima'', Académico was one of the eight teams to dispute the first Primeira Liga. Salgueiros, who sold the grounds of Estádio Engenheiro Vidal Pinheiro field to the Porto Metro and planned on building a new field in the ''Arca d'Água'' area of Porto. Located a few hundred meters away from the old grounds, it became impossible to build on this land due to a large underground water pocket, and, consequently, they moved to the Estádio do Mar in Matosinhos (owned by Leixões). Other amateur football clubs also have fields in Porto, but with the exception of FC Porto's old stadium and football school (the Campo da Constituição) these fields have only sand or dirt. For the Euro 2004 football competition, held in Portugal, the Estádio do Dragão was built (replacing the old Estádio das Antas) and the Estádio do Bessa was renovated.

F.C. Porto won the 1986–87 European Cup, the 1987 Intercontinental Cup, the 1987 European Super Cup, the 2002-03 UEFA Cup, the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League, the 2004 Intercontinental Cup and the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League.

Notable citizens

Filipe Duarte (1993) - world's best rower in 2010

Alexandre Quintanilha – scientist

Almeida Garrett (1799–1854) – writer and liberalist

Álvaro Siza Vieira – architect

António Pinho Vargas – composer

António Nobre - writer

Belmiro de Azevedo – entrepreneur (born in the district of Porto, in Marco de Canaveses)

Charles Albert of Sardinia (1798–1849) – Italian monarch

Eduardo Souto de Moura – architect

Fernão de Magalhães (Ferdinand Magellan) – the globe circumnavigation navigator; probably born in Porto, but surely lived and studied in this town.

Francisco Sá Carneiro – former Prime Minister

Francisco Vieira de Matos (1765–1805), painter (a.k.a. ''Vieira Portuense'')

Freitas-Magalhaes – psychologist and scientist

Guilhermina Suggia (1885–1950) – cellist; born at Porto

Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa – President of Futebol Clube do Porto

José Pacheco Pereira (born 6 January 1949), politician, professor and political analyst

Júlio Dinis (1839–1871) – writer

Kaúlza de Arriaga – general

Manoel de Oliveira – film director

Miguel Sousa Tavares – writer

Pedro Abrunhosa – singer/songwriter

Pedro de Escobar – Renaissance composer

Pêro Vaz de Caminha – wrote the letter ''Carta do Achamento do Brasil'', announcing the discovery of Brasil

Prince Henry the Navigator (1394–1460)

Ramalho Ortigão (1836–1912) – writer

Ricardo Padua (1978-) designer and musician

Richard Zimler – novelist

Rosa Mota – marathon runner, Olympic gold medalist (Seoul 1988)

Rui Veloso – singer

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen – writer

Soares dos Reis - sculptor

Tiago Monteiro – racing driver

Uriel da Costa (1580–1640), Jewish philosopher

Carlos Lopes – marathon runner, Olympic gold medalist (Los Angeles 1984)

Henrique Hilário – Chelsea Football Club goalkeeper; born in Porto

Raul Meireles - footballer

Duda - footballer

Bruno Alves - footballer

Bruno da Rocha - jewellery designer and manufacturer

See also

Factory House

References

;Notes

External links

Official homepage of Porto city council

Porto photoblog from bRaNdSboRg.CoM

Category:Cities in Portugal Category:Populated coastal places in Portugal Category:Municipalities of Portugal Category:World Heritage Sites in Portugal Category:Port cities and towns in Portugal Category:European Capitals of Culture

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name	Yaya Touré
fullname	Gnégnéri Yaya Touré
birth date	May 13, 1983
birth place	Sekoura Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire
height
currentclub	Manchester City
clubnumber	42
position	Midfielder
youthyears1	|youthclubs1 Académie de Sol Beni
years1	2001–2003 |clubs1 Beveren |caps1 70 |goals1 3
years2	2003–2005 |clubs2 Metalurh |caps2 33 |goals2 3
years3	2005–2006 |clubs3 Olympiacos |caps3 26 |goals3 3
years4	2006–2007 |clubs4 Monaco |caps4 27 |goals4 5
years5	2007–2010 |clubs5 Barcelona |caps5 74 |goals5 4
years6	2010– |clubs6 Manchester City |caps6 36 |goals6 6
nationalyears1	2004– |nationalteam1 Côte d'Ivoire |nationalcaps1 55 |nationalgoals1 7
pcupdate	10 May 2011
ntupdate	7 May 2011 }}

Gnégnéri Yaya Touré (born 13 May 1983), commonly known as Yaya Touré, is an Ivorian footballer who currently plays as a box-to-box midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the Côte d'Ivoire national side. He plays with the name Touré Yaya on his jersey.

He is renowned for combining speed and physical power with technique and has 55 caps for Côte d'Ivoire, representing the team in their first appearance in a FIFA World Cup, in the 2006 competition as well as in 2010. He is the younger brother of his Côte d'Ivoire and Manchester City teammate Kolo Touré. He also has a younger brother named Ibrahim who currently plays for Egyptian side Makasa.

Club career

Early career

Touré joined ASEC Mimosas youth academy in 1996 on the recommendation of his long-time mentor Patrick van Reijendam. He then moved to Europe where he played for Belgian side Beveren for two-and-a-half years and later for one and a half years at Ukrainian side Metalurh Donetsk.

Olympiacos

Touré then moved to Olympiacos in 2005. He was nicknamed "the new Patrick Vieira" by his older brother. Before joining Olympiacos, Touré had a trial with Arsenal, starting in a match against Barnet, but subsequently manager Arsène Wenger failed to sign him because he could not secure a work permit.

Monaco

After representing Côte d'Ivoire in the 2006 World Cup, Touré was signed by French Ligue 1 side AS Monaco in August 2006. He played at the Stade Louis II for one season before leaving for FC Barcelona.

Barcelona

Touré joined Spanish side Barcelona for €9 million and made his official debut for the club on 26 August 2007 during the league opener against Racing de Santander.

In the 2007 Joan Gamper Trophy match against Internazionale of Italy, Touré scored his first goal for Barcelona in a 5–0 victory. He scored his first official goal with Barcelona in a La Liga match against Athletic Club on 2 September 2007. His first goal in the Champions League for Barça was against Schalke in the 2007–08 quarter-finals. The goal proved to decide the tie and Barcelona advanced into a semi-final match-up against Manchester United, which they subsequently lost 1–0 over two legs.

During the early stages of the 2008–09 season, newly appointed manager Josep Guardiola favoured Sergio Busquets in the defensive role of Barcelona's midfield trio. In the 2009 Champions League Final, he played centre back due to injuries and suspensions of first-choice defenders, despite having only played there twice before for Barcelona. In late June 2010 Barcelona confirmed that Touré was allowed to leave the club in the summer.

Manchester City

On 2 July, Touré signed a five-year deal with Manchester City for a fee of around £24 million and was allocated squad number 42, which is the reverse of the number 24 jersey he sported at Barcelona, since Patrick Vieira had already been allocated that number. The move teamed Touré up with his elder brother Kolo, who signed for City in July 2009. On 28 July, Touré made his debut for City in a pre-season friendly against Club América, which City won 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw with the Mexican side. In his home debut on 7 August, in another friendly match against Valencia, he was named man of the match.

On 14 August 2010, Touré made his Premier League debut in a 0-0 draw against at White Hart Lane. A week later, Touré impressed in the 3-0 defeat of Liverpool at Eastlands, forming a part of a three man midfield with Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong. On 19 September, Touré scored his first goal against Wigan Athletic. The goal was scored in the 70th minute and Toure was assisted by Carlos Tévez who scored in that match too. Recently, Touré has been seen to have taken up a more attacking position under Roberto Mancini and has revelled so far, setting up Tévez against . He scored a brilliant left-footed drive against and soon scored a second, but was later credited as an own goal as the ball rebounded off the post into Robert Green's back and bounced in. He scored his third goal against in a delightful counter-attack move, with Yaya making up 90 yards to latch onto the ball and fire if past the goalkeeper, with Manchester City eventually winning 4-3. Touré's fifth goal for City came on the 25 February in a Europa League game against Aris Thessaloniki, the goal was a deflected strike to make the score 3-0 to City.

On 16 April 2011, Touré scored the only goal of the game in a Man of the Match performance against in the FA Cup semi final. Yaya continued his Wembley success by scoring the only goal in his side's 1-0 win over Stoke City in the 2011 FA Cup Final, ending Manchester City's 35 year wait for a major trophy. and writing himself into Manchester City folklore in the process.

Club statistics

''As of 18 May 2011.'' 3 0 2 2 1 7 0

Club	Season	League	Cup	Continental	Total
	!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals
rowspan=1	Olympiacos		26	|	0	0	6	0	32	3
colspan=1>Total
rowspan=1	Monaco		27	5	|0|
colspan=1>Total
rowspan=4	Barcelona		26	1	|	0	12	1	40	2
2008–09 La Liga	2008–09	25	|	5	1	10	0	40	3
2009–10 La Liga	2009–10	23	|	6	0	8	0	37	1
colspan=1>Total	! 74!!4!!13!!1!!30!!1!!117!!6
rowspan=2	Manchester City		34	6	|	3	7	1	48	10
2011–12 Premier League	2011–12	2	|	0	0	0	0	2	0
Total	! !!36!!6!!7!!3!!7!!1!!50!!10
Career total		! 163!!19!!20!!4!!43!!2!!229!!24

International goals

|- | 1. || 24 January 2006 || Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt || || 1-2 || 1-2 || 2006 Africa Cup of Nations |- | 2. || 3 June 2007 || Stade Bouaké, Bouake, Côte d'Ivoire || || 3-0 || 5-0 || 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |- | 3. || 25 January 2008 || Sekondi Stadium, Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana || || 2-0 || 4-1 || 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |- | 4. || 20 June 2009 || Stade du 4-Août, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso || || 0-1 || 2-3 || 2010 World Cup qualification |- | 5. || 5 September 2009 || Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire || || 3-0 || 5-0 || 2010 World Cup qualification |- | 6. || 25 June 2010 || Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, South Africa || || 0-1 || 0-3 || 2010 World Cup |- | 7. || 4 September 2010 || Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire || || 1-0 || 3-0 || 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |}

Honours

ASEC Mimosas

Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division: 2001

Olympiacos

Super League Greece: 2005–06

Greek Cup: 2005–06

FC Barcelona

La Liga: 2008–09, 2009–10

Copa del Rey: 2008–09

Supercopa de España: 2009

UEFA Champions League: 2008–09

UEFA Super Cup: 2009

FIFA Club World Cup: 2009

Manchester City

FA Cup: 2010–11

References

External links

Yaya Touré profile Goal.com

Yaya Touré profile FC Barcelona

Premier League profile

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:Ivorian footballers Category:Côte d'Ivoire international footballers Category:Ivorian Muslims Category:Association football midfielders Category:AS Monaco FC players Category:K.S.K. Beveren players Category:FC Metalurh Donetsk players Category:Olympiacos F.C. players Category:FC Barcelona footballers Category:Manchester City F.C. players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:2006 Africa Cup of Nations players Category:2008 Africa Cup of Nations players Category:Ivorian expatriates in Belgium Category:2010 Africa Cup of Nations players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:Belgian Pro League players Category:Ligue 1 players Category:La Liga footballers Category:ASEC Mimosas players Category:Superleague Greece players Category:Premier League players Category:Expatriate footballers in France Category:Expatriate footballers in Spain Category:Expatriate footballers in Greece Category:Expatriate footballers in Belgium Category:Expatriate footballers in Ukraine

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playername	Lionel Messi
fullname	Lionel Andrés Messi
dateofbirth	June 24, 1987
cityofbirth	Rosario
countryofbirth	Argentina
height
position	Striker / Winger
currentclub	Barcelona
clubnumber	10
youthyears1	1995–2000
youthyears2	2000–2004
youthclubs1	Newell's Old Boys
youthclubs2	Barcelona
years1	2004–2005
clubs1	Barcelona B
caps1	22
goals1	6
years2	2004–
clubs2	Barcelona
caps2	178
goals2	121
nationalyears1	2005
nationalyears2	2008
nationalyears3	2005–
nationalteam1	Argentina U20
nationalteam2	Argentina U23
nationalteam3	Argentina
nationalcaps1	7
nationalgoals1	6
nationalcaps2	5
nationalgoals2	2
nationalcaps3	60
nationalgoals3	17
medaltemplates	}}

| pcupdate = 13:30, 7 July 2011 (UTC) | ntupdate = 10:17, 17 July 2011 (UTC) }} Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (born 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina) is a football player who currently plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team as a striker or winger. Considered one of the best football players of his generation, Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi as his "successor".

Messi began playing football at a young age and his potential was quickly identified by Barcelona. He left Rosario-based Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke his team record for the youngest footballer to score a league goal. Major honours soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi's debut season, and won a double of the league and Champions League in 2006. His breakthrough season was in the 2006–07 season; he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clásico and finishing with 14 goals in 26 league games. Messi then had the most successful season of his playing career, the 2008–09 season, in which he scored 38 goals to play an integral part in a treble-winning campaign. This record-breaking season was then eclipsed in the following 2009–10 campaign, where Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions, equalling Ronaldo's record total for Barcelona. He surpassed this record again in the 2010–11 season with 53 goals in all competitions.

Messi has won five La Liga titles, three Champions League titles, scoring in two of those finals, against Manchester United in both 2009 and 2011. He was not on the pitch as Barcelona defeated Arsenal in 2006, but received a winners' medal from the tournament. After scoring 12 goals in the 2010–11 Champions League, Messi became only the third player (after Gerd Müller and Jean-Pierre Papin) to top-score in three successive European Champion Clubs' Cup campaigns. However, Messi is the first one to win the Champions League top scorer titles for three consecutive years after Champions League changed its format in 1992.

Messi was the top scorer of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with six goals, including two in the final game. Shortly thereafter, he became an established member of Argentina's senior international team. In 2006, he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa América tournament the following year. In 2008, in Beijing, he won his first international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team.

Early life

Messi was born in Rosario, Santa Fe, to parents Jorge Horacio Messi, a factory steel worker, and Celia María Cuccittini, a part-time cleaner. His paternal family originates from the Italian city of Ancona, from which his ancestor, Angelo Messi, emigrated to Argentina in 1883. He has two older brothers named Rodrigo and Matías as well as a sister named María Sol. At the age of five, Messi started playing football for Grandoli, a local club coached by his father Jorge. In 1995, Messi switched to Newell's Old Boys who were based in his home city Rosario. At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. The traditional River Plate showed interest in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay for treatment for his condition which cost $900 a month. Carles Rexach, the sporting director of FC Barcelona, had been made aware of his talent as Messi had relatives in Lleida, Catalonia, and Messi and his father were able to arrange a trial. Rexach, with no other paper at hand, offered Messi a contract written on a paper napkin. Barcelona offered to pay for Messi's medical bills if he was willing to move to Spain. Messi and his father moved to Barcelona where Messi enrolled in the club's youth academy.

Club career

Barcelona

Messi made his official debut for the first-team on 16 November 2003 aged 16 years and 145 days, in a friendly match against Porto. Less than a year later, Frank Rijkaard let him make his league debut against RCD Espanyol on 16 October 2004 (at 17 years and 114 days), becoming the third-youngest player ever to play for Barcelona and youngest club player who played in La Liga. This record was broken by Bojan Krkić in September 2007. When he scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete Balompié on 1 May 2005, Messi was 17 years, ten months and seven days old, becoming the youngest to ever score in a La Liga game for Barcelona until it was again broken by Bojan Krkić in 2007, scoring from a Messi assist. Messi said about his ex-coach Rijkaard: "I'll never forget the fact that he launched my career, that he had confidence in me while I was only sixteen or seventeen."

2005–06 season

On 16 September, for the second time in three months, Barcelona announced an update to Messi's contract; this time it was improved to pay him as a first team member and extended until June 2014. Messi obtained Spanish citizenship on 26 September 2005 and was finally able to make his debut in the season's Spanish First Division. Messi's first home outing in the Champions League came on 27 September against Italian club Udinese. Fans at Barcelona's stadium, the Camp Nou, gave Messi a standing ovation upon his substitution, as his composure on the ball and passing combinations with Ronaldinho had paid dividends for Barcelona.

Messi netted six goals in 17 league appearances, and scored one Champions League goal in six. His season ended prematurely on 7 March 2006, however, when he suffered a muscle tear in his right thigh during the second leg of the second round Champions League tie against Chelsea. Rijkaard's Barcelona ended the season as champions of Spain and Europe.

2006–07 season

In the 2006–07 season, Messi established himself as a regular first team player, scoring 14 times in 26 matches. On 12 November, in the game against Real Zaragoza, Messi suffered a broken metatarsal, ruling him out for three months. Messi recuperated from his injury in Argentina, and his return to action came against Racing Santander on 11 February, where he came on as a second-half substitute. On 11 March, ''El Clásico'' saw Messi in top form, scoring a hat-trick to earn 10-man Barcelona a 3–3 draw, equalising three times, with the final equaliser coming in injury time. In doing so he became the first player since Iván Zamorano (for Real Madrid in the 1994–95 season) to score a hat-trick in ''El Clásico''. Messi is also the youngest player ever to have scored in this fixture. Towards the end of the season he began finding the net more often; 11 of his 14 league goals for the season came from the last 13 games. Messi also proved the "new Maradona" tag was not all hype, by nearly replicating Maradona's most famous goals in the space of the single season. On 18 April 2007, he scored two goals during a Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe CF, one of which was very similar to Maradona's famous goal against England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, known as the Goal of the Century. The world's sports press drew comparisons with Maradona, and the Spanish press labelled Messi as "Messidona". He ran about the same distance, , beat the same number of players (six, including the goalkeeper), scored from a very similar position, and ran towards the corner flag just as Maradona did in Mexico 21 years before. In a press conference after the game, Messi's team-mate Deco said: "It was the best goal I have ever seen in my life." Against RCD Espanyol Messi also scored a goal which was remarkably similar to Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal against England in the World Cup quarter-finals. Messi launched himself at the ball and connected with his hand to guide the ball past the goalkeeper Carlos Kameni. Despite protests by Espanyol players and replays showing it was clear handball, the goal stood.

2007–08 season

During the 2007–08 season, Messi scored five goals in a week leading Barcelona to the top four in La Liga. On 19 September he scored once as Barcelona defeated Lyon 3–0 at home in a Champions League match. He scored two goals against Sevilla FC on 22 September and then on 26 September, Messi scored another two goals in a 4–1 victory over Real Zaragoza. Next goal came in 4–1 away win against Levante UD in 29 September 2007. His second Champions League goal of the season came against VfB Stuttgart. On 27 February, Messi played in his 100th official match for Barcelona against Valencia.

Messi was nominated for a FIFPro World XI Player Award under the category of Forward. A poll conducted in the online edition of the Spanish newspaper ''Marca'' had him as the best player in the world with 77 percent of the vote. Columnists from Barcelona-based newspapers ''El Mundo Deportivo'' and ''Sport'' stated that the Ballon d'Or should be given to Messi, a view supported by Franz Beckenbauer. Football personalities such as Francesco Totti have declared that they consider Messi to be one of the current best footballers in the world.

Messi was sidelined for six weeks following an injury on 4 March when he suffered a muscle tear in his left thigh during a Champions League match against Celtic. It was the fourth time in three seasons that Messi suffered this type of injury. After coming back from the injury Messi scored his last goal of 2007–08 season against Valencia on 4 May 2008 in a 6–0 win. When the season was over Messi managed to score 16 goals and assisted 13 times in all competition.

2008–09 season

Upon Ronaldinho's departure from the club, Messi inherited his number 10 jersey. On 1 October 2008, during a Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk, Messi scored two goals during the last seven minutes, after coming on as a substitute for Thierry Henry, to turn a 1–0 deficit to a 2–1 victory for Barcelona. The next league game was versus Atlético Madrid, a match billed as a friendly battle between Messi and his good friend Sergio Agüero. Messi scored a goal from a free kick and assisted another as Barça went on to win the match 6–1. Messi netted another impressive brace against Sevilla scoring a volley from and then dribbling round the goalkeeper and scoring from a tight angle for the other. On 13 December 2008, during the first Clásico of the season, Messi scored the second goal in Barcelona's 2–0 win over Real Madrid. He was also named second in the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year awards with 678 points.

Messi scored his first hat-trick of 2009 in a Copa del Rey tie against Atlético Madrid which Barcelona won 3–1. Messi scored another important double on 1 February 2009, coming on as a second half substitute to help Barcelona defeat Racing Santander 1–2 after being 1–0 down. The second of the two strikes was Barcelona's 5000th league goal. In the 28th round of La Liga, Messi scored his 30th goal of the season in all competitions, helping his team to a 6–0 victory over Málaga CF in the process. On 8 April 2009, he scored twice against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, setting a personal record of eight goals in the competition. On 18 April, Messi notched his 20th league goal of the season in a 1–0 win at Getafe, allowing Barcelona to maintain their six-point advantage at the top of the league table over Real Madrid.

As Barcelona's season was drawing to a close, Messi scored twice (his 35th and 36th goals in all competitions) to cap a 6–2 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in what was Real's heaviest defeat since 1930. After scoring each goal, he ran towards the fans and the cameras lifting up his Barcelona jersey and showing another T-shirt that read ''Síndrome X Fràgil'', Catalan for Fragile X Syndrome, to show his support for children who suffer from the affliction. Messi was involved in the build-up to Andrés Iniesta's injury time goal against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final to send Barcelona through to face Manchester United in the final. He won his first Copa del Rey on 13 May, scoring one goal and assisting another two, in a 4–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao. He helped his team win the double by winning La Liga. On 27 May he helped Barcelona win the Champions League by scoring a second goal in the 70th minute giving Barcelona a two goal lead; he also became the top scorer in the Champions League, the youngest in the tournament's history, with nine goals. Messi also won the UEFA Club Forward of the Year: and the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year rounding off a spectacular year in Europe. This victory meant Barcelona had won the Copa del Rey, La Liga and Champions League in the one season, and was the first time a Spanish club had ever won the treble.

2009–10 season

After winning the 2009 UEFA Super Cup, Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola asserted that Messi was probably the best player he had ever seen. On 18 September, Messi signed a new contract with Barcelona, running until 2016 and with a buy-out clause of €250 million included, making Messi, along with Zlatan Ibrahimović, the highest paid players in La Liga, with earnings of around €9.5 million yearly. Four days later, on 22 September, Messi scored two goals and assisted another in Barça's 4–1 win over Racing Santander in La Liga. He scored his first European goal of the season on 29 September in a 2–0 win over Dynamo Kyiv, and then took his goal tally to six goals in seven games in La Liga with a strike during a 6–1 routing of Real Zaragoza at Camp Nou.

Messi was named winner of the 2009 Ballon d'Or on 1 December 2009, beating runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo by largest ever margin of 473 to 233. Afterwards, France Football magazine quoted Messi as saying: "I dedicate it to my family. They were always present when I needed them and sometimes felt even stronger emotions than me."

On 19 December, Messi scored the winner in the final of the 2009 Club World Cup against Estudiantes in Abu Dhabi, giving the club their sixth title of the year. Two days later, he was given the FIFA World Player of the Year award, beating Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi, Kaká and Andrés Iniesta to the award. This was the first time he had won the award, and he became the first Argentinean to ever receive this honour. On 10 January 2010, Messi scored his first hat-trick in 2010 and his first hat-trick of the season against CD Tenerife in the 0–5 victory, and on 17 January he scored his 100th goal for the club in the 4–0 victory over Sevilla.

Messi then started an impressive run scoring 11 goals in five games. First he scored on the 84th minute against Málaga for a 2–1 win, then he scored two goals against UD Almería in a 2–2 tie. He continued his spree with an impressive week where he scored eight goals; he started by scoring a hat-trick against Valencia CF in a 3–0 home win, then he scored two goals against Stuttgart, in a 4–0 win that secured Barcelona's qualification to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and finally he scored another hat-trick against Zaragoza in a 4–2 away win, becoming the first Barcelona player to score back-to-back hat-tricks in La Liga. He played his 200th official match for Barcelona against Osasuna on 24 March 2010.

On 6 April 2010, for the first time in Messi's career he scored four goals in a single match, netting the lot in a 4–1 home win over Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. This also saw him overtake Rivaldo as Barcelona's all time greatest scorer in the competition. On 10 April, Messi scored his 40th goal of the season when he netted the first goal in a 2–0 away win against title-rivals Real Madrid in El Clásico. On 1 May, Messi played his 50th game of the season and scored two goals on a 4–1 away win against Villarreal. Just three days later, on 4 May, Messi scored two goals in another 4–1 win at home against Tenerife. Messi scored his 32nd goal of the La Liga season on 8 May, during an away win against Sevilla, and in the final match against Valladolid, he scored two goals in the second half to tie Ronaldo's club record of 34 goals in a single league season, set in 1996–97, and to finish four goals behind the all-time record held by Telmo Zarra. He was named La Liga player of the year for the second year in a row on 3 June 2010.

2010–11 season

On 21 August 2010, Messi scored a hat-trick in his first start of the season in a 4–0 victory over Sevilla FC in the Supercopa de España, helping Barcelona secure their first trophy of the season after a 1–3 first leg loss. He also began his league season with a goal, scoring after just three minutes against Racing Santander on 29 August 2010. He then continued his excellent form into the UEFA Champions League group stage match against Panathinaikos where he scored two goals, assisted another two and also hit the frame of the goal on two separate occasions.

On 19 September 2010, Messi suffered an ankle injury due to an ill-advised tackle by Atlético Madrid defender Tomáš Ujfaluši in the 92nd minute of their Round 3 match at the Vicente Calderón Stadium. At first sight it was feared that Messi suffered a broken ankle that could have kept the star player away from the pitch for a minimum of six months, but MRI performed the next day in Barcelona showed he suffered a sprain in the internal and external ligaments of his right ankle. Team-mate David Villa stated "the tackle on Messi was brutal" after watching the video of the play and also added that he believed the Atlético defender "didn't go into the tackle to hurt". The incident caused widespread media attention and brought up the debate of equality in protecting all players in the game.

When Messi recovered he scored in a 1–1 tie against RCD Mallorca. He then scored another brace on the UEFA Champions League against København and helped the team to a 2–0 home win. He continued his impressive scoring run with braces against Zaragoza and Sevilla. After a prolific October, he started November scoring on an away 1–1 tie against København and an away 3–1 win against Getafe where he also assisted team-mates David Villa and Pedro Rodríguez. In the next fixture against Villarreal CF, he scored combining with Pedro, which gave Barcelona a 2–1 lead. He scored another goal and Barcelona won 3–1. This was the 7th consecutive match in which Messi scored, breaking his own previous record of 6. He also achieved the feat of scoring 50 goals in the calender year of 2010 with the 1st goal, while with the second goal, he achieved the same feat again, this time considering the goals he scored wearing a Barcelona shirt in 2010. Against Almería he scored his second hat-trick of the season in an impressive 8–0 away win, the second goal was his 100th La Liga goal. He scored on his ninth game in a row (10th including a friendly against Brazil) on a 3–0 away win against Panathinaikos. Messi's goalscoring run ended on 29 November at El Clásico but Barcelona still managed to win 5–0 with Messi assisting Villa twice. The next match day he scored a brace and gave an assist against Osasuna. He followed with another brace against Real Sociedad. In El Derbi, a match Barcelona won 1–5, he assisted teammates Pedro and Villa to score one goal each. His first goal in 2011 came against Deportivo La Coruña with a free kick on a 4–0 away win, where he once again assisted both Pedro and Villa.

Messi won the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or, beating his Barcelona teammates Xavi and Iniesta. Messi had been nominated for the awards for the fourth consecutive year. Only two days after he won the award he scored his first hat-trick of the year and third of the season against Real Betis. He began the second round of the league with a goal, scoring his second penalty against Racing Santander. After scoring the penalty kick, Messi revealed a message on his undershirt that said, "Happy birthday, mami.". He continued his goalscoring form with a brace against Almería in the Copa del Rey semifinal, and followed it up with another brace less than a week later against Hércules CF. On 5 February, Barcelona broke the record for most consecutive league wins with 16 victories after they defeated Atlético Madrid 3–0 at the Camp Nou. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick to ensure the victory for his side and after the match he stated, "it's an honor to be able to pass a record set by a great like Di Stéfano" and "if the record has been around for so long is because it's very complicated to achieve and we have reached it by defeating a very difficult team who's going through a bad situation, which makes it even more difficult."

After two scoreless games he scored the winner against Athletic Bilbao in which Barcelona won 2–1. The next week he scored the first header of the season against Mallorca on a 3–0 away win. This victory was the equalising a La Liga record set by Basque club Real Sociedad in the 1979–80 campaign with a 19 unbeaten away matches. The record was broken after three days later when Messi scored the only goal on an away victory over Valencia. On 8 March, Messi scored two goals against Arsenal in a UEFA Champions League match at the Camp Nou, helping Barcelona win 3–1 and qualify to the quarter-finals of the competition. After failing to score for a month he scored a brace against Almería; the second goal was his 47th of the season, equalling his club record return of the previous season. He surpassed his record on 12 April 2011 by scoring the winner against Shakhtar Donetsk in a UEFA Champions League game, which put him in the record book as all time top scorer in a single season for Barcelona. He scored his eight goal on El Clásico on a 1–1 tie at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. On 23 April, Messi scored his 50th goal of the season against Osasuna in a 2–0 home victory which he came on as a substitute in the 60th minute.

In the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals he gave a memorable performance, scoring twice against Real Madrid in a 2–0 win, the second goal (a dribble past several players) being acclaimed as one of the best ever at that stage of the competition. At the Champions League Final at Wembley, Messi scored the eventual game-clinching goal to give Barcelona their third title in six years and fourth overall.

2011–12 season

Messi started the season in the 2011 Spanish Supercup, scoring three goals and giving two assists for a 5–4 aggregate win against Real Madrid. On his next official match he scored again after a weak back pass from Fredy Guarín and gave an assist to Cesc Fàbregas for a 2-0 win against Porto at the UEFA Super Cup. This was the only official competition where he hadn't score before.

International career

In June 2004, he debuted for Argentina, playing in an under-20 friendly match against Paraguay. In 2005 he was part of a team that won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. There, he won the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe, scoring in the last four of Argentina's matches and netting a total of six for the tournament.

He made his full international debut on 17 August 2005 against Hungary at the age of 18. He was substituted on during the 63rd minute, but was sent off on the 65th minute because the referee, Markus Merk, found he had headbutted defender Vilmos Vanczák, who was tugging Messi's shirt. The decision was contentious and Maradona even claimed the decision was pre-meditated. Messi returned to the team on 3 September in Argentina's 1–0 World Cup qualifier away defeat to Paraguay. Ahead of the match he had said "This is a re-debut. The first one was a bit short." He then started his first game for Argentina against Peru; after the match Pekerman described Messi as "a jewel".

On 28 March 2009, in a World Cup Qualifier against Venezuela, Messi wore the number 10 jersey for the first time with Argentina. This match was the first official match for Diego Maradona as the Argentina manager. Argentina won the match 4–0 with Messi opening the scoring.

On 17 November 2010, Messi scored a last-minute goal against South American rivals Brazil after an individual effort to help his team to a 1–0 win in the friendly match, which was held in Doha. This was the first time that he had scored against Brazil at senior level. Messi scored another last-minute goal on 9 February 2011 against Portugal in a penalty kick which he give his side a 2–1 victory in the friendly match, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland.

2006 World Cup

The injury that kept Messi from playing for two months at the end of the 2005–06 season jeopardised his presence in the 2006 World Cup. Nevertheless, Messi was selected in the Argentina squad for the tournament on 15 May 2006. He also played in the final match before the World Cup against the Argentine U-20 team for 15 minutes and a friendly match against Angola from the 64th minute. He witnessed Argentina's opening match victory against Ivory Coast from the substitute's bench. In the next match against Serbia and Montenegro, Messi became the youngest player to represent Argentina at a World Cup when he came on as a substitute for Maxi Rodríguez in the 74th minute. He assisted Hernán Crespo's goal within minutes of entering the game and also scored the final goal in the 6–0 victory, making him the youngest scorer in the tournament and the sixth youngest goalscorer in the history of the World Cup. Messi started in Argentina's following 0–0 draw against the Netherlands. In the following game against Mexico, Messi came on as a substitute in the 84th minute, with the score tied at 1–1. He appeared to score a goal, but it was ruled offside with Argentina needing a late goal in extra time to proceed. Coach José Pekerman left Messi on the bench during the quarter-final match against Germany, which they lost 4–2 on a penalty shootout.

2007 Copa América

Messi played his first game in the 2007 Copa América on 29 June 2007, when Argentina defeated United States 4–1 in the first game. In this game, he showed his capabilities as a playmaker. He set up a goal for fellow striker Hernán Crespo and had numerous shots on target. Tevez came on as a substitute for Messi in the 79th minute and scored minutes later.

His second game was against Colombia, in which he won a penalty that Crespo converted to tie the game at 1–1. He also played a part in Argentina's second goal as he was fouled outside the box, which allowed Juan Roman Riquelme to score from a freekick, and increase Argentina's lead to 3–1. The final score of the game was 4–2 in Argentina's favor and guaranteed them a spot in the tournament's quarterfinals.

In the third game, against Paraguay the coach rested Messi having already qualified for the quarter-finals. He came off the bench in place of Esteban Cambiasso in the 64th minute, with the score at 0–0. In the 79th minute, he assisted a goal for Javier Mascherano. In the quarter-finals, as Argentina faced Peru, Messi scored the second goal of the game, from a Riquelme pass in a 4–0 win. During the semi-final match against Mexico, Messi scored a lob over Oswaldo Sánchez to see Argentina through to the final with a 3–0 win. Argentina went on to lose 3–0 to Brazil in the final.

2008 Summer Olympics

Having barred Messi from playing for Argentina in the 2008 Olympics, Barcelona agreed to release him after he held talks with newly appointed coach Josep Guardiola. He joined the Argentina squad and scored the first goal in a 2–1 victory over Ivory Coast. He then scored the opening goal and assisted Ángel di María in the second to help his side to a 2–1 extra-time win against the Netherlands. He also featured in Argentina's match against rivals Brazil, in which Argentina took a 3–0 victory, thus advancing to the final. In the gold medal match, Messi again assisted Di María for the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Nigeria.

2010 World Cup

Messi played the entire game on Argentina's opening match in the 2010 World Cup, the 1–0 victory against Nigeria. He had several opportunities to score but was repeatedly denied by Vincent Enyeama. Messi started in Argentina's following 4–1 win against Korea Republic; he participated in all of the goals of his team and helped Gonzalo Higuaín score a hat-trick. On the third and last group stage match Messi captained during Argentina's 2–0 win over Greece, again being the centrepoint of Argentina's play and was voted man of the match.

At the Round of 16 he assisted Carlos Tévez for the first goal in a 3–1 win against Mexico. The referee awarded that goal even though it was a clear offside. The World Cup ended for Argentina with a 4–0 loss against Germany in the quarter-finals.

2011 Copa América

Messi took part in the Copa América in Argentina, where he failed to score a goal but notched three assists. He was selected man-of-the-match in matches against Bolivia (1–1) and Costa Rica (3–0). Argentina were eliminated in the quarter-finals in a penalty shoot-out against Uruguay (1–1 a.e.t.), with Messi scoring as the first penalty taker.

Outside football

Personal life

Messi was at one stage romantically linked to Macarena Lemos, also from his hometown of Rosario. He is said to have been introduced to her by the girl's father when he returned to Rosario to recover from his injury a few days before the start of the 2006 World Cup. He has in the past also been linked to the Argentine glamour model Luciana Salazar. In January 2009 he told "Hat Trick Barça", a programme on Canal 33: "I have a girlfriend and she is living in Argentina. I am relaxed and happy". He was seen with the girl, Antonella Roccuzzo, at a carnival in Sitges after the Barcelona-Espanyol derby. Roccuzzo is a fellow native of Rosario.

Messi has two cousins also involved in football: Maxi, a winger for Club Olimpia of Paraguay, and Emanuel Biancucchi, who plays as a midfielder for Spain's Girona FC.

Charity

In 2007 Messi established the Leo Messi Foundation, a charity supporting access to education and health care for vulnerable children. In an fansite interview, Messi said: “Being a bit famous now gives me the opportunity to help people who really need it, especially children." In response to Messi’s own childhood medical difficulties, the Leo Messi Foundation supports Argentine children diagnosed with medical conditions by offering treatment in Spain and covering the transport, hospital and recuperation costs. Messi’s foundation is supported by his own fundraising activity with additional assistance from Herbalife.

On 11 March 2010 Messi was announced as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Messi’s UNICEF ambassador activities are aimed at supporting children’s rights. Messi is supported in this by FC Barcelona, who also have a strong association with UNICEF.

Media

He is featured on the front covers of the video games ''Pro Evolution Soccer 2009'' and ''Pro Evolution Soccer 2011'' and is also involved in promotional campaigns for the games. Messi, along with Fernando Torres, is the face of ''Pro Evolution Soccer 2010'', and was also involved in the motion capturing and the trailer. Messi is sponsored by the German sportswear company Adidas and features in their television advertisements. In June 2010, Messi also signed a three–year contract with Herbalife which further supports the Leo Messi Foundation.

Career statistics

Club

1 6 14 10 23 34 31 2

Club	Season	!colspan="3"	!colspan="3"	!colspan="3"	!colspan="3"	UEFA Super Cup	!colspan="3"	Total
!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists
rowspan="8"	Barcelona		7	|	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	—			—			—			9	1	0
2005–06 FC Barcelona season	2005–06	17	|	3	2	1	0	6	1	1	0	0	0	—			—			25	8	4
2006–07 FC Barcelona season	2006–07	26	|	2	2	2	1	5	1	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	36	17	3
2007–08 FC Barcelona season	2007–08	28	|	12	3	0	0	9	6	1	—			—			—			40	16	13
2008–09 FC Barcelona season	2008–09	31	|	11	8	6	2	12	9	5	—			—			—			51	38	18
2009–10 FC Barcelona season	2009–10	35	|	10	3	1	0	11	8	0	1	2	0	1	0	1	2	2	0	53	47	11
2010–11 FC Barcelona season	2010–11	33	|	18	7	7	3	13	12	3	2	3	0	—			—			55	53	24
2011–12 FC Barcelona season	2011–12	1	|	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	2	1	1	1	0	0	0	4	6	4
Career total	!178!!121!!57!!26!!17!!6!!57!!37!!10!!7!!8!!2!!3!!1!!2!!2!!2!!0!!273!!186!!77

International

5 8 10 9 10 10 8

!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals!!Assists
rowspan=7	'''Argentina	2005	|	0	0
2006	|	2	2
2007	|	6	3
2008	|	2	1
2009	|	3	2
2010	|	2	2
2011	|	2	7
Total!!60!!17!!17

International goals

Under–20

:''Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first.'' 14 June 2005 22 June 2005 24 June 2005 28 June 2005 2 July 2005 2 July 2005

!Goal	!Date!!Venue!!Opponent!!Score!!Result!!Competition
1	|	De Grolsch Veste>Arke Stadion, Enschede, Netherlands		1–0	2–0	2005 FIFA World Youth Championship>2005 World Youth Championship
2	|	Univé Stadion, Emmen, Netherlands>Emmen, Netherlands		1–1	2–1	2005 World Youth Championship
3	|	Arke Stadion, Enschede, Netherlands		3–1	3–1	2005 World Youth Championship
4	|	Stadion Galgenwaard>Galgenwaard Stadion, Utrecht, Netherlands		1–0	2–1	2005 World Youth Championship
5	|	Galgenwaard Stadion, Utrecht, Netherlands		1–0	2–1	2005 World Youth Championship
6	|	Galgenwaard Stadion, Utrecht, Netherlands	Nigeria	2–1	2–1	2005 World Youth Championship

Under–23

7 August 2008 16 August 2008

!Goal	!Date!!Venue!!Opponent!!Score!!Result!!Competition
1	|	Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai, China		1–0	2–1	Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament>2008 Summer Olympics
2	|	Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai, China		1–0	2–1	2008 Summer Olympics

Senior team

1 March 2006 16 June 2006 5 June 2007 5 June 2007 8 July 2007 11 July 2007 16 October 2007 20 November 2007 align=left 4 June 2008 11 October 2008 11 February 2009 28 March 2009 14 November 2009 7 September 2010 17 November 2010 align=left 9 February 2011 align=left 20 June 2011 align=left

!Goal	!Date!!Venue!!Opponent!!Score!!Result!!Competition
1	|	St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland		2–1	2–3	Exhibition game>Friendly
2	|	Veltins-Arena>WM-Stadion Gelsenkirchen, Gelsenkirchen, Germany		6–0	6–0	2006 FIFA World Cup>2006 World Cup
3	|	Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain		2–2	4–3	Friendly
4	|	Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain	Algeria	4–2	4–3	Friendly
5	|	Estadio Metropolitano de Fútbol de Lara>Metropolitano de Fútbol de Lara, Barquisimeto, Venezuela		2–0	4–0	2007 Copa América
6	|	Polideportivo Cachamay, Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela		2–0	3–0	2007 Copa América
7	|	Estadio José Pachencho Romero>José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela		2–0	2–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)>2010 World Cup qualification
8	|	Estadio El Campín, Bogotá, Colombia	Colombia ||	1–0	1–2	2010 World Cup qualification
9	|	Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, United States	Mexico	2–0	4–1	Friendly
10	|	Estadio Antonio Vespucio Liberti>Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina		1–0	2–1	2010 World Cup qualification
11	|	Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France		2–0	2–0	Friendly
12	|	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Venezuela	1–0	4–0	2010 World Cup qualification
13	|	Vicente Calderón Stadium, Madrid, Spain		1–1	1–2	Friendly
14	|	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Spain	1–0	4–1	Friendly
15	|	Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar	Brazil ||	1–0	1–0	Friendly
16	|	Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland	Portugal ||	2–1	2–1	Friendly
17	|	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Albania ||	2–0	4–0	Friendly

Awards and honours

Club

;Barcelona

La Liga: 5

:: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11

Copa del Rey: 1

:: 2008–09

Supercopa de España: 5

:: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011

UEFA Champions League: 3

:: 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11

UEFA Super Cup: 2

:: 2009, 2011

FIFA Club World Cup: 1

:: 2009

Argentina

FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1

:: 2005

Olympic Gold Medal: 1

:: 2008

Individual

FIFA Ballon d'Or: 1

:: 2010

Ballon d'Or: 1

:: 2009

FIFA World Player of the Year: 1

:: 2009

FIFA Team of the Year: 3

:: 2008, 2009, 2010

U-21 European Footballer of the Year: 1

:: 2007

La Liga Player of the Year: 3

:: 2009, 2010, 2011

La Liga top goalscorer: 1

:: 2010

Copa del Rey top goalscorer: 1

:: 2011

La Liga Foreign Player of the Year: 3

:: 2007, 2009, 2010

La Liga Ibero-American Player of the Year: 4

:: 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011

European Golden Shoe: 1

:: 2010

UEFA Champions League top goalscorer: 3

:: 2009, 2010, 2011

UEFA Best Player in Europe: 1

:: 2011

UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 1

:: 2009

UEFA Champions League Forward of the Year: 1

:: 2009

UEFA Champions League Final Man of the Match: 1

:: 2011

UEFA Champions League Final Fans' Man of the Match: 2

:: 2009, 2011

UEFA Team of the Year: 3

:: 2008, 2009, 2010

Footballer of the Year of Argentina: 5

:: 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2

:: 2009, 2010

FIFPro World Young Player of the Year: 3

:: 2006, 2007, 2008

FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year: 2

:: 2007, 2008

FIFPro World XI: 4

:: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

FIFA U-20 World Cup Player of the Tournament: 1

:: 2005

FIFA U-20 World Cup top goalscorer: 1

:: 2005

Copa América Young Player of the Tournament: 1

:: 2007

World Soccer Player of the Year: 1

:: 2009

World Soccer Young Player of the Year: 3

:: 2006, 2007, 2008

FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 1

:: 2009

ESM Team of the Year: 5

:: 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11

Onze d'Or: 2

:: 2009, 2010

Bravo Award: 1

:: 2007

Tuttosport Golden Boy: 1

:: 2005

Marca Leyenda: 1

:: 2009

UEFA best goal of the year: 1

:: 2007

References

External links

FC Barcelona profile

BDFutbol profile

Transfermarkt profile

Profile at ESPN

FIFA World Cup profile

Official page at Facebook

Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:People from Rosario, Santa Fe Category:Argentine people of Italian descent Category:Naturalised citizens of Spain Category:Argentine footballers Category:Association football forwards Category:La Liga footballers Category:FC Barcelona Atlètic footballers Category:FC Barcelona footballers Category:Pichichi Trophy winners Category:Argentina international footballers Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:2007 Copa América players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:2011 Copa América players Category:Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic footballers of Argentina Category:Olympic medalists in football Category:Olympic gold medalists for Argentina Category:UNICEF people Category:Argentine expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in Spain

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{{infobox football biography | name	Roberto Mancini | image

Roberto Mancini (born 27 November 1964) is an Italian football manager, formerly an international player and current manager of Premier League club Manchester City.

As a player Mancini was best known for his time at Sampdoria, where he played more than 550 league matches, and helped them win the Serie A league title, four Coppa Italias and the Cup Winners Cup, whilst being capped 36 times by Italy. As a player he gained a penchant as a future manager and would often give team talks at half-time and ultimately became an assistant to Sven Goran Eriksson at Lazio in the twilight of his playing career. After his retirement, Mancini embarked on a successful managerial career. A cup specialist, Mancini has never failed to reach a semi-final of a major cup competition in every season he has managed and has guided the clubs he managed to a record 5 consecutive Coppa Italia finals from 2004 to 2008, with Lazio once in 2004 and with Inter in the following 4 seasons.

Mancini's first managerial role was at a cash stricken Fiorentina at only 35 years old and managed to win a Coppa Italia, but left with Fiorentina facing bankruptcy. Months later, he took over as manager at Lazio, where again he inherited financial constraints and was forced to lose a number of key players. With limited resources during his two season tenure, he still managed to win another Coppa Italia, reach a UEFA Cup semi-final, and secure a lucrative Champions League place.

In 2004, Mancini was given the chance to manage a major club, being offered the manager's job at Internazionale. During his tenure at Inter, the club won 3 consecutive Serie A titles (an Inter club record) and a European record 17 consecutive league game victories stretching nearly half a season. and became Inter's most successful manager in 30 years. Despite his domestic success, many pundits saw the repeated failure to win the coveted Champions League as the main reason for his sacking in 2008.

After being out of football for over a year, Mancini was appointed Manchester City manager in December 2009 and his team-building achievements at Lazio and Inter were a factor in his appointment. In the 2010-11 season, his first full season at City, Mancini guided the club to lucrative Champions League football and the FA Cup, and has moulded City into a sound defensive unit. He maintains a tradition of wearing a scarf of his club's colours, something which has been continued at Manchester City.

Early life

Mancini was born in the small town of Jesi, Italy in 1964 but then moved onto the mountain town of Rocadaspida, Italy and was raised by Aldo and Marianna Mancini along with his younger sister, Stephanie. Raised a Roman Catholic, his young life in Jesi revolved around religion and football. He was an altar boy and played for the local ''Aurora Calcio'' football team in his youth. On one occasion a fixture clashed with his first Holy Communion. Halfway through the ceremony the young eight year old Mancini was nowhere to be seen. His local priest who was administering his first communion frequently coached ''Calcio'', he heard they were losing 2–0 at half-time and so he asked a young Mancini quietly after receiving his communion if he had his football kit and boots with him. Roberto said they were in the changing rooms and so he told him to sneak out of the side door and put them on because his team needed him unbeknownst to his father. Roberto Mancini used to be as a pizza delivery boy

Playing career

Overview

Mancini debuted in the Italian Serie A for Bologna on 12 September 1981. The following year he was bought by Sampdoria, for whom he played until 1997. Later he played for Lazio (1997–2000) and Leicester City (2001).

In Italy

With Sampdoria, he formed a dynamic strike partnership with Gianluca Vialli, and helped the club to its only league title in 1991, four Coppa Italias (1985, 1988, 1989 and 1994) and a Cup Winners' Cup in 1990. He also appeared in the final of the 1991–1992 European Cup against Barcelona.

With Lazio he won his second ''scudetto'' (2000) and Cup Winners' Cup titles (1999) as well as two more Coppa Italias (1998 and 2000). In the 1999–2000 season, Lazio won the Scudetto and Coppa Italia, but Mancini failed to score in 20 matches and he announced his playing retirement. He joined Lazio’s coaching staff as Sven-Goran Eriksson’s number two.

Leicester City

Joining Leicester City in January 2001, Mancini made his Premier League debut against Arsenal at the age of 36, but failed to complete 90 minutes in his five appearances for the club. In early February, he was given leave of absence, citing personal reasons. However, he telephoned the club on 14 February, and informed them he would not be returning to England (he had been offered the manager's job at Fiorentina). Despite this, he cites his time at Leicester as the period during which he fell in love with the English game, and which later prompted him to accept the job at Manchester City.

International career

Despite success at club level, Mancini never became a regular for Italy. At U-21 level, Mancini was part of the team which reached the semi-finals in UEFA U-21 Championship 1984 and finished runners-up in UEFA U-21 Championship 1986. He made his international debut in 1984 against Canada, won 36 caps and scored four goals for his country (including a goal against West Germany at Euro 88). He was also a non-playing member of the Italian squad at 1990 World Cup, being kept out of the side by Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Baggio. His international career ended after a dispute with national team coach Arrigo Sacchi, when Mancini was upset because he would not be guaranteed a first team place at the 1994 World Cup. Fierce competition for places hindered his international opportunities with forward players like Gianfranco Zola, Roberto Baggio and later Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero hastened his self-imposed exile from the Italian national team.

Managerial career

Fiorentina

Although Mancini had written a research pamphlet entitled "Il Trequartista". which examined the role of an attacking midfielder, he had not as yet attained the necessary coaching badges to become a manager. He therefore needed special dispensation from the Italian football authorities to take the post at Fiorentina. Fiorentina was plagued by financial problems. He made occasional playing appearances himself. According to various sources, Mancini sometimes worked unpaid and even received death threats as key players such as Rui Costa and Francesco Toldo had to be sold. Despite this, Mancini managed to win the Coppa Italia before quitting in January 2002, after just 10 months in the job, with Fiorentina in the relegation zone of Serie A. Fiorentina were subsequently relegated in June 2002.

Lazio

In May 2002, Mancini was appointed manager of Lazio. He was again restricted by financial considerations, having to sell key players such as Hernan Crespo and Alessandro Nesta, and players were forced to take an 80% pay cut. However, in his first season with Lazio, the club reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. In the 2003–2004, Lazio won the Coppa Italia. Lazio finished fourth in 2003 and sixth in 2004. Before the start of the 2004–05 season, rumours circulated in the Italian press that Inter had approached Mancini to fill the recently vacated managerial position at the club. Shortly after, Mancini quit Lazio and announced that he would be joining Inter.

Internazionale

Under Mancini, Inter soon won the club's first domestic trophy since 1989. Inter became the dominant team in Italy.

In Mancini's first season, Inter won the Coppa Italia with a 3–0 victory over Roma at the San Siro Stadium. Inter finished third in Serie A and reached the Champions League quarter-finals only to be knocked out by city rivals AC Milan 3–0 on aggregate. In August 2005, Inter won the Italian Super Cup for the second time in their history with a 1–0 victory over Juventus.

Inter again won the Italian Cups and Italian Super Cup. Following the Calciopoli scandal, Juventus were stripped of the Scudetto title which was handed to Inter instead.

Inter achieved a record-breaking run of 17 consecutive victories in Serie A, starting on 25 September 2006 with a 4–1 home win over Livorno and ending on 28 February 2007 after a 1–1 draw at home to Udinese. The run lasted for almost five months and is among the best in European league football history. Inter won a second successive league title with 5 games to spare and only losing one league game all season. Inter finished with a record-breaking 97 points, which is an Italian football record and, until 2010, was a European record.

Mancini became the third coach in Inter history to win back-to-back league titles after Alfredo Foni (1952–53 and 1953–54) and Helenio Herrera (1964–65 and 1965–66).

Inter also progressed to the Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup for the third consecutive season, but were beaten in both finals by AS Roma. However, once again, Inter struggled in Europe. In the Champions League they were knocked out in the first round by Valencia. At the end of the game there was a mass brawl involving both sets of players. Mancini was not involved in the incident, but camera footage showed him attempting to block a camera's view, before he was seen shrugging his shoulders and walking away.

This was Mancini's fourth, and final, season in charge of Inter. His reputation continued to grow as he added a third consecutive Serie A title to his honours. Again he guided Inter to the Coppa Italia final, but lost for a second consecutive season to Roma, 2–1 at the Stadio Olimpico.

Despite his successes, the inability to make any real progress in the Champions League displeased Inter owner Massimo Moratti. Inter were knocked out in the Second Round of the UEFA Champions League by Liverpool. In March 2008, amid rumours that he was to be sacked and replaced by José Mourinho at the end of the season, Mancini announced his intention to step down at the end of the 2007–08 season. He rescinded this decision a day later after meeting with Inter president Massimo Moratti.

On 29 May 2008, Inter officially announced the sacking of Mancini. Club Chairman Massimo Moratti justified the sacking by pointing to Mancini's negative comments after the Liverpool defeat. He was replaced by Jose Mourinho.

Out of football

Mancini was linked to the vacant Chelsea job in May 2008 and then the Notts County job On 30 October 2009, Mancini won compensation for his sacking by Inter. However, the contract settlement meant Mancini was actually unemployable by any other club from May 2008 to October 2009. It was rumoured that Mancini was entitled to a €16m pay-off, in the end he reportedly settled for a €5m.

Manchester City

On 19 December 2009, Mancini was publicly revealed to be taking over as manager of Manchester City on a three and a half year deal following the sacking of Mark Hughes. With wealthy Arab owners who were willing to invest heavily in the team, Manchester City had become a club expectant of success.

2009–10

Having been appointed half-way through the season, Mancini's arrival had an immediate impact on City's form, with four consecutive wins. Mancini won his first ever Manchester Derby 2–1 in a Carling Cup semi-final first leg. However United won the second-leg 3–1, and eliminated City from the competition.

In April, Manchester City moved into fourth place in the Premier League. However, on May 5, a single goal defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur meant that City missed out on a Champions League place. City finished the season in 5th place, their highest Premier League finish. There had been speculation that Mancini might lose his job if Manchester City did not to secure Champions League Football, but chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak gave his support to Mancini.

2010–11

Mancini spent heavily during the summer transfer window. He signed German international defender Jerome Boateng from Hamburg for approximately £10.64m, Spanish World Cup winner David Silva from Valencia for approximately £24m, Yaya Toure from Barcelona for around £24m and Aleksandar Kolarov from Lazio for approximately £19m.

The 2010-11 season Premier League season was marked by a run of good form and poor form. A 2-0 win away at Wigan Athletic on 19 September 2010, City went 4th in the 2010-11 Premier League and did not drop out of the top 4 which offers lucrative Champions League football throughout the rest of the season. However the team struggled for form in October and November putting pressure on Mancini to deliver with his tactics criticised following two consecutive 0–0 home draws at home to Manchester United and Birmingham in November 2010.

However a fine run of form in the weeks running up to Christmas meant City occupied 1st place twice over the Christmas period, although City missed the opportunity to be 1st at on Christmas Day with a 2-1 defeat to Everton days before. In the ten games before the 15 January 2011, City won 7 times, drew twice and lost only once as they surged into title contention, whilst also securing passage into the Round of 32 of the Europa League as group winners. As a result of strong league form, Mancini was awarded the Premier League Manager of the Month award for December.

Premier League form tailed off in the new year with City jointly contesting the FA Cup and Europa League with Mancini citing burnout for losing ground in the title race. City were eliminated from the Europa League by Dynamo Kiev in March, but City replied strongly winning 8 out of the next 10 matches with a FA Cup semi-final victory at Wembley over rivals Manchester United in April. A win over Tottenham Hotspur in May 2011 guaranteed City 2011-12 Champions League football. The win was followed with City winning the 2010-11 FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Stoke City on the weekend after the Tottenham victory. The FA Cup truimph meant Mancini joined five other City managers who have won major honours and had ended the club's longest trophy drought in its history. Thanks to their strong run of form finished 3rd ahead of Arsenal on the last day of the season with a 2-0 win over Bolton, thus avoiding a play-off round to progress to the group stages, with only goal difference separating City from a 2nd place finish over Chelsea.

Management style

Defensive emphasis

Mancini places great emphasis on building from the back, stressing the importance of not conceding a goal means the team will always have an opportunity to win, going as far to say, 'I like 1-0 wins. When you don't concede a goal and you have players like Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez or David Silva, you win 90%. I prefer we are boring for two to three matches and we win 1-0... If you watch teams that won titles, they conceded very few goals.' Despite this, some argue Mancini is more of a "''defense first''" manager, rather than a "''win first''" manager. A style that has been criticised by some in the British media. However, others believe his pragmatic and cautious approach is what the team lacked, and that Mancini is adopting a style to ensure City can challenge for trophies regularly.

Although Mancini has been defensive in some fixtures at Manchester City which has attracted criticism. Mancini did inherit a team from Mark Hughes, which whilst showing great prolifigacy and potential in front of goal, had a very insecure defence. Months of intensively coaching his defence, even throwing young Dedryck Boyata into the fray from the youth team in Mancini's first few weeks enabled him to get his tenure at City off to a positive start.

In Internazionale's Serie A winning season 2007-08, Inter conceded the fewest goals in the league - 26 to be precise, 11 fewer than Juventus and Roma. At Manchester City, his team has gradually garnered a reputation as being well organised defensively and tough to break down. In Mancini's first full season in charge at City, they conceded 33 goals in the Premier League, fewest conceded along with Chelsea and 18 clean sheets, the highest in the 2010-11 Premier League season.

Training methods

Mancini's training methods have been criticised by some City players and especially by ex-Manchester City fitness coach Raymond Verheijen, who is a personal fitness coach for Craig Bellamy.. The training sessions are known for being very competitive and has led to well publicised bust ups leading to City earning the nickname of "Fight Club" and recently Mancini was left nursing a sore calf after being flattened by summer signing Stefan Savic who was taking part in his first training session as a City player.

Attitude to players

During his time at Manchester City, Mancini has tried to stamp his authority with rebellious players who are unhappy or are not performing and has stated "''If a top player is not happy then it's better to go''". It has been alleged that Mancini has had frosty relationships with Craig Bellamy, club doctor Jamie Murphy and Emmanuel Adebayor who was unhappy at not getting first team football. Manchester City players have alluded to Mancini's occasional "''hairdryer treatment''" at half-time if he feels his team are not playing well.

Personal life

Mancini has been married for nearly 20 years to his wife, Federica. They have a daughter and two sons, Filippo and Andrea, who have both played in the Internazionale youth ranks, where Filippo has played 10 minutes in a Coppa Italia match. Both of his sons have at one point been a part of Manchester City's youth set-up. Filippo trained with the City academy for several months of the 2007–08 season, while Andrea was signed by his father for the Manchester City under-21 Elite Development Squad in November 2010 after being released from Bologna.

Statistics

Player stats

:''As of 27 November 2009''

Bologna Football Club 1909 rowspan=151983–84 Serie A1984–85 Serie A1985–86 Serie A1986–87 Serie A1987–88 Serie A1988–89 Serie A1989–90 Serie A1990–91 Serie A1991–92 Serie A1992–93 Serie A1993–94 Serie A1994–95 Serie A1995–96 Serie A1996–97 Serie A !colspan="3" rowspan=31998–99 Serie A1999–2000 Serie A !colspan="3"Leicester City F.C.

Season	Club	Championship	Coppa Italia	!colspan="3"	Supercoppa Italiana	Total
!Comp	!Apps	!Goals	!Comp	!Apps	!Goals	!Comp	!Apps	!Goals	!Comp	!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals
Bologna Football Club 1981–1982	1981–1982	Bologna||	1981–82 Serie A>A	30	9	Coppa Italia 1981–82>CI	1	0
1982–1983	Sampdoria||	1982–83 Serie A>A	22	4	Coppa Italia 1982–83>CI	5	1
1983–1984	A||	30	8	Coppa Italia 1983–84>CI	8	2
Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1984–1985	1984–1985	A||	24	3	Coppa Italia 1984–85>CI	11	3
Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1985–1986	1985–1986	A||	23	6	Coppa Italia 1985–86>CI	11	4	1985–86 European Cup Winners' Cup>EWC	4	2
Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1986–1987	1986–1987	A||	26	6	Coppa Italia 1986–87>CI	5	0
Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1987–1988	1987–1988	A||	30	5	Coppa Italia 1987–88>CI	13	3
Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1988–1989	1988–1989	A||	29	9	Coppa Italia 1988–89>CI	11	5	1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup>EWC	8	0	1988 Supercoppa Italiana>SI	0	0	48	14
Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1989–1990	1989–1990	A||	31	11	Coppa Italia 1989-90>CI	3	2	1989–90 European Cup Winners' Cup>EWC	9	2	1989 Supercoppa Italiana>SI	1	0	44	15
Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1990–1991	1990–1991	A||	30	12	Coppa Italia 1990–91>CI	10	2	1990–91 European Cup Winners' Cup>EWC	5	2	1990 European Super Cup>SE	2	0	47	16
Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1991–1992	1991–1992	A||	29	6	Coppa Italia 1991-92>CI	6	2	1991–92 European Cup>EC	9	4	1991 Supercoppa Italiana>SI	1	1	45	13
Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1992–1993	1992–1993	A||	30	15	Coppa Italia 1992-93>CI	2	0
Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1993–1994	1993–1994	A||	30	12	Coppa Italia 1993-94>CI	7	0
Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1994–1995	1994–1995	A||	31	9	Coppa Italia 1994-95>CI	2	1	1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup>EWC	4	2	1994 Supercoppa Italiana>SI	1	0	38	12
Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1995–1996	1995–1996	A||	26	11	Coppa Italia 1995-96>CI	2	1
Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1996–1997	1996–1997	A||	33	15	Coppa Italia 1996-97>CI	2	0
Total – Sampdoria ||	424	132		98	26		39	12		5	1	566	171
Società Sportiva Lazio 1997–1998	1997–1998	Lazio||	1997–98 Serie A>A	34	5	Coppa Italia 1997-98>CI	8	1	1997–98 UEFA Cup>UC	10	3
Società Sportiva Lazio 1998–1999	1998–1999	A||	33	10	Coppa Italia 1998-99>CI	6	2	1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup>EWC	7	0	1998 Supercoppa Italiana>SI	1	0	47	12
Società Sportiva Lazio 1999–2000	1999–2000	A||	20	0	Coppa Italia 1999-2000>CI	7	3	UEFA Champions League 1999-2000>UCL	9	0	1999 UEFA Super Cup>SE	1	0	37	3
Total – Lazio ||	87	15		21	6		26	3		2	0	136	24
2001	Leicester City||	2000–01 FA Premier League>PL	4	0	2000–01 FA Cup>FAC	1	0		0	0		0	0	5	0
colspan="2"	Total – Career	|	545	156		121	32		65	15		7	1	738	204

Managerial statistics

:''Competitive games only – as of 28 August 2011''

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
G	W	D	L	Win %
align=left
align=left
align=left
align=left
Total

Honours

As player

;Italy ;Serie A (2)

Sampdoria: 1990-91

Lazio: 1999-2000

;Coppa Italia (6)

Sampdoria: 1984-85, 1987-88, 1988-89, 1993-94

Lazio: 1997-98, 1999-2000

;Supercoppa Italiana (2)

Sampdoria: 1991

Lazio: 1998

;UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (2)

Sampdoria: 1989-90

Lazio: 1998-99

;UEFA Super Cup (1)

Lazio: 1999

;Italy national team

1990 FIFA World Cup: Bronze medal - Third place

;Individual

Guerin d'Oro: 1988, 1991

Serie A Footballer of the Year: 1997

Italian Footballer of the Year: 1997

As manager

;Italy ;Serie A (3)

Internazionale: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08

;Coppa Italia (4)

Fiorentina: 2000–01

Lazio: 2003–04

Internazionale: 2004–05, 2005–06

;Supercoppa Italiana (2)

Internazionale: 2005, 2006

;England ;FA Cup (1)

Manchester City: 2010–11

;Individual ;Manchester City

Premier League Manager of the Month: December 2010

References

External links

Official website

Profile on Manchester City Official Website

Carlo AncelottiChelsea}}

Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:People from Jesi Category:Italian footballers Category:Italy international footballers Category:Italy under-21 international footballers Category:Bologna F.C. 1909 players Category:U.C. Sampdoria players Category:S.S. Lazio players Category:Leicester City F.C. players Category:Serie A footballers Category:UEFA Euro 1988 players Category:1990 FIFA World Cup players Category:Italian football managers Category:S.S. Lazio managers Category:ACF Fiorentina managers Category:F.C. Internazionale Milano managers Category:Serie A managers Category:Premier League players Category:Italian expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:Italian expatriate sportspeople in the United Kingdom Category:Premier League managers Category:Expatriate football managers in England

ar:روبيرتو مانشيني bn:রবের্তো মানচিনি bg:Роберто Манчини cs:Roberto Mancini da:Roberto Mancini de:Roberto Mancini et:Roberto Mancini es:Roberto Mancini fa:روبرتو مانچینی fr:Roberto Mancini ko:로베르토 만치니 id:Roberto Mancini it:Roberto Mancini hu:Roberto Mancini nl:Roberto Mancini ja:ロベルト・マンチーニ no:Roberto Mancini pl:Roberto Mancini pt:Roberto Mancini ro:Roberto Mancini ru:Манчини, Роберто sq:Roberto Mancini simple:Roberto Mancini sk:Roberto Mancini sl:Roberto Mancini fi:Roberto Mancini sv:Roberto Mancini th:โรแบร์โต มันชีนี tr:Roberto Mancini uk:Роберто Манчіні zh:羅拔圖·文仙尼

name	Samir Nasri
fullname	Samir Nasri
birth date	June 26, 1987
birth place	Marseille, France
height
currentclub	Manchester City
clubnumber	19
position	Attacking Midfielder, Winger
youthyears1	1995–1997
youthyears2	1997–2004
youthclubs1	Pennes Mirabeau
youthclubs2	Marseille
years1	2004–2008
years2	2008–2011
years3	2011–
clubs1	Marseille
clubs2	Arsenal
clubs3	Manchester City
caps1	121
caps2	86
caps3	1
goals1	11
goals2	18
goals3	0
nationalyears1	2002–2003
nationalyears2	2003–2004
nationalyears3	2004–2005
nationalyears4	2005–2006
nationalyears5	2006–2007
nationalyears6	2007–
nationalteam1	France U16
nationalteam2	France U17
nationalteam3	France U18
nationalteam4	France U19
nationalteam5	France U21
nationalteam6	France
nationalcaps1	16
nationalcaps2	16
nationalcaps3	4
nationalcaps4	10
nationalcaps5	4
nationalcaps6	23
nationalgoals1	8
nationalgoals2	6
nationalgoals3	0
nationalgoals4	5
nationalgoals5	0
nationalgoals6	2
pcupdate	13:27, 20 August 2011 (UTC)
ntupdate	13:27, 20 August 2011 (UTC) }}

Samir Nasri (born 26 June 1987) is a French footballer who plays for English club Manchester City in the Premier League and the France national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger, although he has also been deployed in central midfield. Nasri is known for his technical ability, creativity, pace, and ability to read the game. Of Algerian heritage, 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 of Marseille. At the age of 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 center. In the 2004–05 season, Nasri made his professional debut in September 2004 at the age of 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. In the 2006–07 campaign, Nasri won the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Young Player of the Year award and was also named to the Team of the Year. He finished his career with Marseille amassing over 160 appearances. He played in the teams that reached back-to-back Coupe de France finals in 2006 and 2007. In June 2008, Nasri joined Premier League club Arsenal agreeing to a four-year contract. He reached prominence with the team in his third season winning the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Fans' Player of the Month award on three occasions and being named to the association's Team of the Year. In December 2010, he was named the French Player of the Year for his performances during the calendar year. In August 2011, after three seasons with Arsenal, Nasri joined Manchester City on a four-year contract.

Nasri is a former French youth international and has represented his nation at every level for which he was eligible. Prior to playing for the senior team, he played in the under-17 team that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. Nasri made his senior international debut in March 2007 in a friendly match against Austria. Two months later, he netted his first senior international goal in a 1–0 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying win over Georgia. Nasri has represented France at one major international tournament: UEFA Euro 2008.

Personal life

Nasri was born on 26 June 1987 in the town of La Gavotte Peyret in Septèmes-les-Vallons, a northern suburb in the city of Marseille, to French nationals of Algerian descent. His mother, Ouassila, and father, Hamid, were both born in France; his father being born and raised in Marseille, while his mother being from nearby Salon-de-Provence. Nasri's grandparents emigrated to France from Algeria. His mother is a housewife and his father previously worked as a bus driver before becoming his son's personal manager. Nasri is the eldest of four children and is a non-practising Muslim. He has a younger sister named Sonia and twin brothers named Walid and Malik. All four were raised in La Gavotte Peyret. After joining Arsenal in England, Nasri settled in Hampstead, a town situated in North London. He is currently in a relationship with tennis player Tatiana Golovin.

Club career

Early career

While growing up in La Gavotte Peyret, Nasri grew an attraction to the sport of football at a young age. He regularly played the sport on the streets where he learned many of his skills. Upon noticing his prodigious talent, his parents signed him up to play with the local club in his hometown. Nasri spent one year playing with the club in La Gavotte Peyret before moving to Pennes Mirabeau in nearby Mirabeau at the age of seven. While playing with Pennes, Nasri was discovered by Marseille scout Freddy Assolen who had been informed of the player's talent through local word of mouth. After noticing Nasri's skill in person, Assolen recruited the player to travel with a group of other young players to Italy to participate in a youth tournament where they would play against the youth academies of Milan and Juventus. Nasri impressed at the tournament and Assolen was jokingly told by a Milan scout that "he (Nasri) stays here, you leave him". After returning to France, Marseille officials organized a meeting with the player's father and the group agreed to allow Nasri insertion into the club's academy at the age of nine.

Marseille

Upon entering the Marseille youth academy, Nasri quickly impressed. Upon moving to Bastide, where the club's youth players reside, his style of play began to take shape. In 2007, Nasri admitted that the move to Bastide really helped his game stating, "That’s where I really started to progress. Training was different and the facilities are beautiful, all of which helps you work well." As a result of his quick progression, Nasri was an integral part of every youth team he was a part of winning several trophies, such as the Championnat de Provence, Coupe de Provence, and the Ligue de la Méditerranée. After spending most of the 2003–04 season playing with the club's under-18 team, for the latter part of the season, the now 16-year old Nasri was promoted to the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth division of French football. He appeared primarily as a substitute in a few matches during the campaign as the reserve team failed to rebound from its bad start to the season, which resulted in a 16th place finish and relegation to the Championnat de France amateur 2.

Debut season

Ahead of the 2004–05 season, several clubs were reported to be interested in signing Nasri, most notably English clubs Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Newcastle. In an effort to decrease the speculation, Nasri was offered a three-year professional contract by Marseille officials led by president Pape Diouf and manager José Anigo. On 13 August 2004, Nasri agreed to the contract. Marseille officials had been eager to sign Nasri to a contract in an attempt to not undergo a situation similar to the departure of Mathieu Flamini, in which the player departed the club without Marseille receiving any compensation. As a result of his professsional contract, Nasri was promoted to the senior team by Anigo and assigned the number 22 shirt. He began the season playing on the club's reserve team and appeared in four matches before earning a call up to the senior team in September 2004. Nasri made his professional debut on 12 September in a 2–0 league defeat to Sochaux appearing as a substitute for Bruno Cheyrou. On 17 October, he made his first professional start playing the entire match in a 1–1 draw with Saint-Étienne. Nasri featured heavily within the team under Anigo and later Philippe Troussier. In the team's first match following the winter break, he scored his first professional goal in a 2–1 away victory over Lille. Nasri finished his rookie campaign with 25 total appearances, one goal, and two assists.

2005–06 season

The 2005–06 season saw Marseille boosted by the arrival of attackers Franck Ribéry and Djibril Cissé; the latter arriving after having a successful loan stint with the club the previous season. Nasri, who was now given a more prominent role within the team by new manager Jean Fernandez, formed impressive partnerships with the two along with lead striker Mamadou Niang. He appeared in 49 total matches, which included appearances in both the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Nasri made his European debut on 16 July 2005 in the first round of the 2005 UEFA Intertoto Cup against Swiss club BSC Young Boys. Marseille won the first leg 3–2. In the second leg, Nasri scored his first European goal in a 2–1 win. Marseille ultimately won the competition after beating Spanish outfit Deportivo de La Coruña 5–3 on aggregate. In the league, Nasri appeared in 30 matches, 25 as a starter. He scored his only league goal of the season on 29 April 2007 in a 4–2 win over Sochaux. In the Coupe de France, Nasri appeared in five matches as Marseille reached the final of the competition where the club faced ''Le Classique'' rivals Paris Saint-Germain. Nasri appeared as a substitute in the match as Marseille were defeated 2–1. Following the season, Nasri signed a two-year contract extension with the club until 2009.

2006–07 season

Nasri began the 2006–07 season playing under Albert Emon, his fourth different manager in three years. Despite this, Marseille's now heightened popularity saw increased speculation from writers and supporters that the club would finally win its first league title since the 1991–92 season. Nasri began the season on a quick note scoring the second goal in the team's 3–1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in September 2006. On 29 April 2007, Nasri scored a goal in Marseille's 4–2 hammering of Sochaux. Marseille were due to face the same club in the 2007 Coupe de France Final just days later and were, subsequently, heavy favorites as a result of the team's two-goal victory in the previous match. However, Sochaux recorded an upset victory defeating Marseille 5–4 on penalties after the match ended 2–2 following extra time. On the final match day of the season, Nasri converted the only goal in a 1–0 win over Sedan. The victory secured 2nd place for Marseille and was the club's best finish since finishing runner-up to Bordeaux in the 1998–99 season. Nasri finished the season with a career-high 50 appearances, 37 of them in the league. For his efforts, he was awarded the UNFP Young Player of the Year award and named to the Team of the Year. Nasri was also voted the Club Player of the Year by supporters, receiving 62% of the votes ahead of the likes of Ribéry and Niang.

2007–08 season

Similar to his previous three years at Marseille, Nasri began the new season under new management as the club was now being led by the Belgian Eric Gerets. Due to the departure of Ribéry to Bayern Munich, Gerets installed Nasri as the focal point of the attack and he responding by having his best season at the club. He appeared in 42 total matches scoring a career-high six goals and also assisting on a career-high 15 goals. Nasri formed partnerships in the midfield with winger Mathieu Valbuena and midfielders Lorik Cana and Benoît Cheyrou as Marseille boasted the third-best attack in the league behind champions Lyon and Bordeaux, who finished 1st and 2nd in the league, respectively. Nasri, initially, struggled during the infancy of the campaign due to dealing with the effects of a severely sprained ankle suffered in the pre-season. He failed to score a goal or provide an assist in the team's first eight league matches. On 24 November 2007, he assisted on two goals in a 2–0 victory over Metz. Nasri closed out the fall season by assisting on the equalizing goal in a 2–2 draw with Bordeaux and making the final pass on the game-winning goal against Le Mans.

Following the winter break, Nasri's goal-scoring began to take form. In late January, he scored goals in back-to-back matches against Nancy and Caen. In European competition, Nasri participated in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in his career, however he failed to make an impact in the four group stage matches he appeared in. He missed the club's upset victory over Liverpool at Anfield due to dealing with a bout of meningitis. Marseille ultimately finished the group in third place, which resulted in the team qualifying for the Round of 32 of the UEFA Cup. The club was defeated in the Round of 16 by Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg despite being up 3–1 heading into the second leg. Of those three goals Marseille scored in the first leg, Nasri assisted on two of them. On 16 March 2008, Nasri scored a goal in a 3–3 draw with Lens. A month later, he scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Metz. In his final match with Marseille against Strasbourg, Nasri scored a goal and assisted on another in a 4–3 victory. Marseille finished the league campaign in 3rd place, which resulted in the club qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the second consecutive season. On 8 May 2008, with all the transfer speculation surrounding the player, Nasri surprised many by signing a three-year contract extension with the club until 2012.

Arsenal

2008–09 season

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A week later, despite signing a contract extension with Marseille, Nasri was linked with a move to Premier League club Arsenal. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger had been tracking Nasri since watching him play at the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. It was later revealed that the contract extension Nasri signed with Marseille was simply protocol to allow Marseille to get a higher transfer fee for the player. The Bouches-du-Rhône-based club was seeking £14 million for the young midfielder. Ahead of UEFA Euro 2008, both Nasri's agent and Wenger admitted that offers were made for the player and that a move to the English club was imminent. The deal was ultimately concluded following the competition on 11 July 2008 with Nasri agreeing to a four-year contract. The transfer fee was undisclosed, but has been purported to be in the region of £12 million. Upon arriving to the club, Nasri admitted that Wenger was one of the primary reasons for him joining the club stating "The fact that Arsène Wenger gives great opportunities to young players is very important for me. Arsène has a great reputation and he is one of the best managers in the world".

Nasri was given the number 8 shirt and made his club debut on 30 July 2008 in a friendly match against German club VfB Stuttgart in a 3–1 win. He made his Premier League debut in the team's first game of the season on 16 August 2008 against West Bromwich Albion. In the match, Nasri scored his first league goal scoring with a close range effort, after four minutes in a 1–0 victory. As a result of his debut goal, he became the 83rd player in Premier League history to score on his league debut and the 22nd Arsenal player. On 27 August, Nasri scored his second goal for the club in the team's 2008–09 UEFA Champions League third round qualifying second leg tie against Dutch club Twente. Arsenal won the match 4–0 and the tie 6–0 on aggregate. After dealing with injuries for the most of September, Nasri return to form in October scoring his third goal of the season in a 3–1 win over Everton. On 8 November, Nasri scored both of Arsenal's goals in a 2–1 win over Manchester United.

Following his performance against Manchester United, Nasri struggled to make an impact with the team statistics-wise failing to score a goal or provide an assist in the team's next four matches. On 21 December, he assisted on the opening goal scored by Robin van Persie in the team's 1–1 draw with Liverpool. Nasri returned to his scoring form in the new year. On 17 January 2009, he scored the second goal in the club's 3–1 win over Hull City at the KC Stadium. It took Nasri another two months to score another goal, which came in Arsenal's 3–1 away win against Newcastle United. He finished his first campaign at Arsenal appearing in 44 matches, scoring seven goals, and providing five assists.

2009–10 season

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 Football 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 Champions League group stage match against Dutch outfit AZ. Three weeks later, Nasri converted another Champions League goal, this time against Belgium club 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 Portuguese club 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 wingback 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 failed to contribute goals to the team, but did assisted on goals in a 3–2 loss to Wigan and a 4–0 home win over Fulham. Arsenal ultimately finished the campaign in 3rd place. Nasri concluded his second season at Arsenal appearing 34 games scoring five goals and issuing the same amount of assists.

Breakthrough season

Ahead of the 2010–11 season, Nasri admitted that he was determined to re-capture his form that resulted in Arsenal signing him two years prior. He also admitted that he did not take missing out on the 2010 FIFA World Cup well stating "When I discovered that I wasn't part of the squad for the World Cup, I got a big slap in the face." However, after speaking to Wenger, who informed him that he should used the non-callup as motivation, he was reassured. Nasri started the campaign well. He was named in Arsenal's starting line-up to play against Liverpool for the first match of the season on 15 August 2010. Nasri played the entire match in a 1–1 draw. After the match, Arsenal confirmed that Nasri had suffered a knee injury that would keep him out for a month. However, the player returned to the team after just three matches helping Arsenal defeat Portuguese outfit Sporting Braga 6–0 in the Champions League on his return. On 21 September, Nasri scored a double in the club's 4–1 extra time victory over North London derby rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Both goals were converted from the penalty spot. Fours days later, Nasri scored another double in a 3–2 home defeat to West Brom.

Nasri continued his fine form as season wore on. In the club's Champions League group stage tie against Serbian club FK Partizan, he assisted on a Sébastien Squillaci goal in the team's 3–1 victory. In October 2010, Nasri went on a streak, in which he scored goals in three straight matches. He started the streak by converting a penalty in a 2–1 win over Birmingham City. In the club's following match against Ukrainian competitors Shakhtar Donetsk, Nasri scored on a left-footed volley in a 5–1 victory. He also assisted on a goal in the match. Against Manchester City five days later, he scored the first goal and set up the third in a 3–0 victory. As a result of his performances in October 2010, Nasri was named the PFA Fans' Player of the Month. In November, Nasri was on the score-sheet again netting the opener in a 3–2 defeat to Tottenham. A week later, he scored a volley in a 4–2 win over Aston Villa.

On 4 December, Nasri scored two goals against Fulham to give Arsenal a 2–1 win. The victory placed Arsenal at the top of the league table. The two goals were Nasri's seventh and eighth goals, respectively, in the league and his tenth and 11th overall. Just four days later, Nasri scored a goal in Arsenal's vital last group game against Partizan. Arsenal won the match 3–1. On 13 December, for his performances during the 2010 calendar year, Nasri was named the France Football French Player of the Year beating out Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda and Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. He is the first Arsenal player to achieve the honour since Thierry Henry in 2006. Nasri was also rewarded domestically for his performances in December winning the Fans' Player of the Month for the second time in the season and, also, capturing the club's monthly award. He won the award for the second consecutive month in January.

Nasri scored his 13th goal of the season in the 3–0 win against Birmingham City on New Year's Day 2011. In the FA Cup, Nasri scored his first-ever goal in the competition in a 3–1 win over Leeds United in the third round. On 30 January 2011, Nasri was forced to leave the team's fourth round FA Cup tie against Huddersfield Town due to a hamstring injury. He, subsequently, missed two weeks and returned to the team ahead of its Champions League knockout round tie with Spanish champions Barcelona. In the first leg, Nasri assisted on the game-winning goal scored by Andrei Arshavin. Arsenal won the match 2–1, but loss the tie 4–3 on aggregate after suffering a 3–1 defeat at the Nou Camp in the second leg. On 8 April, Nasri was nominated for both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards. He lost out on both awards to Tottenham midfielder Gareth Bale and teammate Jack Wilshere, respectively, but was given consolation with an appearance on the association's Team of the Year. On 20 April 2011, Nasri scored his 15th goal of the season with a powerful shot outside the penalty area.

Manchester City

On 24 August 2011, it was confirmed that Nasri had joined Premier League club Manchester City. The transfer fee was priced in the region of £25 million and the player signed a four-year contract. Nasri was assigned the number 19 shirt and made his club debut on 28 August in a league fixture away to Tottenham Hotspur. In the match, he assisted on three goals as Manchester City cruised to a 5–1 win.

International career

Youth

Nasri has earned caps with all of France's youth teams for which he was eligible. He is a member of the group, commonly known as the ''Génération 1987'', that produced current internationals Hatem Ben Arfa, Karim Benzema, and Jérémy Menez, alongside himself. With the under-16 team, Nasri made 16 appearances scoring eight goals. Of the four players, Nasri was the first player to become a regular starter in the team under coach François Blaquart and made his debut in the team's opening match of the campaign against Spain. France won the match 3–0. Nasri scored his first goal for the team on 29 October in its first group stage match against Sweden at the ''Tournio du Val-de-Marne''. On 11 December, Nasri scored the opening goal in the team's 6–1 exhibition thrashing of Greece. At the 2003 Aegean Cup in Turkey, he scored two goals in four matches as France finished the competition in third place. Nasri scored in the team's second group stage match against Israel, a 3–1 win. In the next group stage match, he scored a goal in 5–0 win over the Ukraine. In the third place match against Belgium, Nasri assisted on a goal scored by Ben Arfa. At the Tournio de Montaigu, Nasri scored his only goal in the team's 8–0 win over Gabon in the team's opening group match. France finished the competition runner-up to Italy who defeated France 5–1 in the final match.

At under-17 level, Nasri, Menez, and Ben Arfa were joined by Karim Benzema and tasked with the goal of winning the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship on home soil. Nasri made his debut with the team in the opening match of the season against Sweden netting a goal in a 5–2 victory. In the team's second straight yearly appearance at the ''Tournio du Val-de-Marne'', Nasri scored his lone goal in the competition against the United States in a 2–0 win as France were declared champions without conceding a goal. At the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, Nasri contributed to the team by scoring the equalizing goal against Portugal in the competition's semi-finals. France went on to win the match 3–1 to earn a place in the final. In the final match, France faced Spain. In the match, Nasri scored the game-winning goal just a minute from time to give France its first-ever title in the competition. In total with the under-17s, he made 16 appearances and scored six goals. Due to increased playing time at his parent club Marseille, Nasri stint with the under-18 team was uneventful appearing in only four matches.

The foursome of Nasri, Ben Arfa, Benzema, and Menez returned to international play together for under-19 duty. The four were joined by Issiar Dia, Blaise Matuidi, and Serge Gakpé with the objective of winning the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. The team opened the campaign with two friendly matches against Norway. Over the course of the two matches, Nasri scored two goals: one in a 4–0 win and another in a 5–0 victory. In the first round of qualification for the tournament, Nasri assisted on two goals in the team's 3–1 win over Wales. In the team's next group stage match against San Marino, he scored the third goal in a 3–0 victory. In the final group match against Austria, Nasri scored the opening goal and provided the assist on a Benzema goal in a 2–0 win. In the final round of qualification, Nasri went scoreless. However, despite finishing the round undefeated, France were eliminated after being beaten on points by Scotland. Nasri earned his first call up to the under-21 team under coach René Girard in the team's first match following the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship against Belgium. He started the match and was replaced at half-time by Florent Sinama Pongolle. He featured in qualification matches for the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and appeared as a substitute in both legs of the team's surprising defeat to Israel in the qualifying playoffs. Despite still being eligible to represent the team until 2009, his appearance in the second leg defeat to Israel was Nasri's last with the team.

Senior

On 15 March 2007, Nasri was called up to the senior team for the first time by coach Raymond Domenech for UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match against Lithuania and a friendly against Austria. Nasri admitted that he was "very happy and very proud" to be called into the national team and revealed that the fact that he was called up for an important European championship qualifier made the selection more rewarding. He appeared on the bench in the match against Lithuania, but failed to make an appearance. Nasri made his international debut on 28 March against Austria at the age of 19. He started the match and assisted on the only goal after delivering a free kick low into the box that youth international teammate Benzema converted. On 16 November, Nasri scored his second international goal in a friendly match against Morocco. As a result of his performances domestically and with the national team, he was named to the 23-man squad to participate in UEFA Euro 2008. Nasri made his debut in the tournament on 9 June 2008 in the team's opening group stage match against Romania appearing as a substitute. He did not appear in the team's 4–1 loss to the Netherlands, but did appear in the team's final group stage match against Italy. Nasri appeared as a substitute for the injured Franck Ribéry in the tenth minute. Following defender's Éric Abidal's red card in the 24th minute, Nasri was taken out of the match in order for defender Jean-Alain Boumsong to take Abidal's spot in the lineup.

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In November 2008, Nasri, among several other young players in the team, was accused of being insolent during the team's campaign at the European Championship. The accusation came from domestic teammate William Gallas who inserted the charge in his autobiography. Though the accused was unnamed in the book, following its release, the player became widely identified as Nasri. Gallas used an example of Nasri's insolence for when the young player sat in Thierry Henry's seat on the team bus and refused to move, which, according to Gallas, was undermining the striker's seniority. The incident ultimately led to a verbal exchange between Nasri and Gallas during a training session. In response, Nasri played down the incident stating that Gallas was overreacting to a problem that did not exist. In 2010, after failing to make the World Cup squad, he opened up about the situation stating that during Gallas' final year at Arsenal, he is one of "four or five" Arsenal players who did not speak to the defender. The feud culminated on 20 November 2010 when Nasri lived up to a pledge that he would not shake the hand of Gallas, who was now playing for Tottenham, during the pre-match festivities.

In the 2008–09 season, Nasri appeared in only three matches with the national team. After playing against Lithuania on 28 March 2009, the midfielder failed to represent France for the almost a year and a half. During the 2009–10 season, after constant failed selections, Nasri grew weary of his chances of appearing with the team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the end, he didn't appear with the team failing to make the 23-man squad or even the preliminary squad. Nasri admitted that he took the non-call up hard recalling "Not being one of those 23 names, it was difficult." The player also viewed the non-invite from a positive perspective stating "But maybe it was for the best in the end, and not just because France had a horrible World Cup. It helped me as a person. I told myself I need to work harder, to make sure I don’t miss the next one."

Nasri returned to the national team under the reign of new coach Laurent Blanc for the team's friendly against Norway on 11 August 2010. He missed the September call ups due to injury before returning to the team in October for UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches against Romania and Luxembourg. On 25 March 2011, Nasri captained the national team for the first time in its 2–0 Euro qualification win over Luxembourg. He provided the assist on the opening goal scored by Philippe Mexès.

Style of play

In his early years at Marseille, Nasri was deployed in several positions, most notably as a deep-lying midfielder and a wide midfielder primarily on the right side as he was deemed too small to play in the middle of the park. After two years of developing his physical traits, in the 2006–07 season, manager Albert Emon inserted Nasri into the playmaker role, where his vision, technical skill, and ability to read and understand the game suited him. Since that season, Nasri has been primarily deployed in the position or as a central attacking midfielder at both club and international level. The player has personally admitted that playing centrally is his preference. However, as a result of his versatility, Nasri can also function on the wing and has spent the majority of his career at Arsenal occupying the role in the team's 4–3–3 formation. His close control with the ball, speed, dribbling, crossing, and ability to use both feet suits the position well, which has resulted in manager Arsène Wenger utilizing Nasri in the role since his arrival to the club in 2008. Nasri often featured centrally for Arsenal in the absence of former club captain Cesc Fàbregas.

In 2009, in order to accommodate the arrival of Russian attacker Andrei Arshavin, it was recommended by both Wenger and former national team coach Raymond Domenech that Nasri revert back to his role as a deep-lying midfielder so the player could showcase his underrated defensive abilities. Nasri is also an underrated direct free kick and penalty kick taker. The player had previously developed a superstition with regards to taking spot kicks, but conquered the issue after successfully converting two penalties in the team's Carling Cup victory over Tottenham in 2010. Wenger describes Nasri as a "young, quick and technically outstanding player". He is described in a similar fashion by club scout Gilles Grimandi who states that Nasri is "a fantastic athlete, he's quick, flexible and good with his feet". Nasri's playing style, ability, and cultural background have drawn comparisons to French legend Zinedine Zidane. After joining Arsenal and excelling on the wing, the English media began comparing him to former club player Robert Pirès. Nasri has often attempted to disassociate himself from the two players, particularly the former player stating "There's only one Zidane, just as there was only one Platini".

Career statistics

Club

: ''Statistics accurate as of 21 August 2011''

1 1 3 6 2 2 10 0 3

Club	Season	League	Cup	!colspan="3"	Total
	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists
rowspan="4"	Marseille		24	|	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	25	1	2
Ligue 1 2005–06	2005–06	30	|	2	5	0	0	14	1	1	49	2	3
Ligue 1 2006–07	2006–07	37	|	6	7	0	1	6	0	0	50	3	7
Ligue 1 2007–08	2007–08	30	|	10	4	0	2	8	0	3	42	6	15
colspan="2">Total
rowspan="4"	Arsenal		29	6	|	5	0	3	10	1	0	44	7	5
Premier League 2009-10	2009–10	26	|	5	2	0	1	6	3	0	34	5	6
2010–11 Premier League	2010–11	30	|	1	8	3	1	8	2	3	46	15	5
2011–12 Premier League	2011–12	1	|	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
colspan="2">Total	!86!!18!!8!!15!!3!!5!!23!!6!!3!!125!!27!!16
rowspan="1"	Manchester City		1	0	|	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	3
Total		!1!!0!!3!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!1!!0!!3
Career Total	!208!!29!!31!!32!!3!!8!!51!!7!!7!!292!!39!!46

International

: ''Statistics accurate as of 3 June 2011''

9 3 0 7 1

National team!!Season!!Apps!!Goals !! Assists
rowspan="6"	France	2006–07	3	1
2007–08	|	1	1
2008–09	|	0	0
2009–10 in French football	2009–10	|	0	0
2010–11 in French football	2010–11	|	0	1
2011–12 in French football	2011–12	|	0	0
colspan=2	Total!!23!!2	3

International goals

Stade de l'Abbé Deschamps, Auxerre, France 16 November 2007

# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1.	6 June 2007	|		1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
2.	|	Stade de France, Paris, France		2–1	2–2	Exhibition game>Friendly

Honours

Club

Marseille

UEFA Intertoto Cup (1): 2005

International

France

UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship (1): 2004

Individual

UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year (1): 2006–07

UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year (1): 2006–07

Premier League Player of the Month (1): December 2010

French Player of the Year (1): 2010

Arsenal Player of the Month (1): December 2010

PFA Fans' Player of the Month (3): October 2010, December 2010, January 2011

PFA Team of the Year: 2010–11

References

External links

Arsenal.com profile

Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:People from Marseille Category:French people of Algerian descent Category:French Muslims Category:Association football midfielders Category:Association football wingers Category:French footballers Category:France under-21 international footballers Category:France international footballers Category:French expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:Olympique de Marseille players Category:Arsenal F.C. players Category:Manchester City F.C. players Category:Ligue 1 players Category:Premier League players Category:UEFA Euro 2008 players

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