Samir Nasri retires from football at 34

Former Manchester City and Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri has officially retired from professional football at 34. He has been without a club since leaving Belgian club Anderlecht, managed by former teammate Vincent Kompany. And now, a year without a club, he has hung up his boots for good.

Nasri came through the Marseille academy and made his professional debut for the French club at 17. He was then recruited by Arsenal, and he subsequently joined Manchester City. The Frenchman won two Premier League titles and the League Cup with the Sky Blues as well. 

However, injuries hampered his time at the Etihad and he was loaned out to Sevilla before playing with West Ham United in England. After that, he joined Turkish club Antalyaspor in 2017 but his contract was terminated after six months due to recurring injuries. 

In 2018, he received an 18-month ban from FIFA that he says changed his relationship with the sport: 

“An episode hurt me very badly and changed my relationship with football: my suspension. I found that more than unfair, I had not taken any doping product. It was just an injection of vitamins because I was sick. It cut me off in my tracks.

After returning from his suspension, Nasri joined West Ham on a short-term contract but played just six times before his deal expired, and he subsequently made the move to Anderlecht.

“I came back to West Ham with a coach I knew (Manuel Pellegrini). It was perfect but I got injured three times in a row,” he added.

The player hopes to be a coach in the future, and is currently working as a TV pundit for Canal+.