Hatem Ben Arfa dazzled the Newcastle United supporters in the early 2010s and remains a firm cult hero at St James’ Park.
Eden Hazard believes former Newcastle United maverick Hatem Ben Arfa is one of the “greatest dribblers” he has seen.
Toon fans have been treated to several dynamite Frenchmen over the years. Depending on the era you grew up watching, supporters will rank Ben Arfa, David Ginola, Laurent Robert and Allan Saint-Maximin differently.
But during the early 2010s, there was only one player lighting up the St James’ Park turf more than any other. Ben Arfa arrived 15 years ago - initially on loan - before sealing a permanent move while recovering from a double leg break.
When he returned, the winger produced arguably the best football of his career to help Newcastle qualify for the Europa League. A turbulent career was marred by discipline issues - and eventually put an end to his time on Tyneside - but, for a brief spell, Ben Arfa was a cult hero in black-and-white stripes.
Eden Hazard on Hatem Ben Arfa
Speaking to French outlet So Foot, former Premier League wideman Hazard named Ben Arfa and ex-Chelsea youngster Gael Kakuta - two players who lived unfulfilled careers - as the best dribblers he saw. Hazard said: "Hatem Ben Arfa and Gael Kakuta are the two greatest dribblers I have seen play.
“They may not have always made the right career choices, there are certainly regrets somewhere. We can't rewrite history, but for me, they are players who made me dream."
Allan Saint-Maximin shared Hatem Ben Arfa secret
Following his arrival in 2019, Saint-Maximin revealed that Ben Arfa persuaded him to join the Magpies. He said: “Hatem spoke to me. I talked with a lot of players. They said to me it’s a great club, a great city and the supporters are great. Everything is great.
“This is why I came. I said ‘I know I want to be there’. Everybody told me (to join). Some players in Arsenal said to me ‘it’s a great stadium with a lot of people’.
“He said to me ‘It’s amazing, the supporters and atmosphere are amazing’. He told me to come. He said to me a lot of good things. For dribbling, I love Hatem so much. I love a lot of players but, for me, it’s Ben Arfa. He scored a lot of good goals. He had an injury one time, and maybe this was a bit difficult for him, but everybody knows he’s a great player.”
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Alan Pardew on ‘very difficult’ Hatem Ben Arfa
Speaking to talkSPORT earlier this year, Alan Pardew opened up on Ben Arfa’s off-field antics. He said: “I managed Hatem Ben Arfa at Newcastle, a very difficult character. Hatem was an unbelievable talent, by the way. If you said to me ‘Give a player the ball who can beat two defenders out of players I had’, I’d probably give it to Hatem.
“But I didn’t play him all the time because he antagonised staff and players. He had this way of upsetting the camp a little bit. His defensive work was zero. But he was a tremendous talent on the ball.”
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