Mehdi Nafti

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Mehdi Nafti
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Nafti in action for Birmingham in 2005
Personal information
Full name Mehdi Ben Sadok Nafti
Date of birth (1978-11-28) 28 November 1978 (age 46)
Place of birth Toulouse, France
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Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Youth career
Toulouse
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2000 Toulouse 25 (1)
2000–2001 Racing B 21 (0)
2000–2005 Racing Santander 110 (3)
2005 → Birmingham City (loan) 10 (0)
2005–2009 Birmingham City 70 (0)
2009–2011 Aris 34 (4)
2011–2012 Valladolid 51 (1)
2012–2013 Murcia 30 (0)
2013–2014 Cádiz 15 (0)
International career
2002–2010 Tunisia 44 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:00, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

Mehdi Ben Sadok Nafti (Arabic: مهدي النفطي‎‎; born 28 November 1978) is a Tunisian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder.

During his professional career he played in four different countries in representation of five teams, including Toulouse, Racing de Santander and Birmingham City.

Nafti gained 44 caps for Tunisia, representing the nation at the 2006 World Cup and three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

Club career

Born in Toulouse, France, Nafti made his professional debuts with hometown's Toulouse FC, being sparingly used during his three-year spell with the club and also playing several games with the reserves. His best season was 1999–2000, as he appeared in 13 games (one goal) to help the team return to Ligue 1 after one year of absence.

In the 2000 summer Nafti joined Racing de Santander in La Liga and, as in his previous club, started his stint appearing for the B-team. In the 2000–01 season he played in just three games for the main squad, which was eventually relegated, then proceeded to become a very important midfield element for the Cantabrians in the following three years, whilst collecting 35 yellow cards and three red.

Nafti was signed on loan by Birmingham City in the final minutes of the January 2005 transfer window.[1] Often referred to as "Nasty"[2] due to his fiery nature and tendency for cautions, he was primarily signed to replace the outgoing Robbie Savage, and finished the season strongly for the Blues, which led to a permanent deal being agreed in the summer.[3]

Nafti's 2005–06 campaign came to end before it had even begun, with a severe injury to his cruciate ligaments in a friendly with Deportivo de La Coruña in early August 2005.[4] He recovered sooner than expected[5] and still appeared in the last matchday, a 1–0 loss at Bolton Wanderers,[6] but Birmingham suffered relegation.

After having appeared in 32 games in 2006–07 to help Birmingham return to the Premier League, Nafti scored his first competitive goal for the club in August 2008, in a 4–0 win against Wycombe Wanderers in the 2008–09 League Cup.[7] In June 2009, after Birmingham chose not to renew his contract,[8] he signed a two-year contract with Aris Thessaloniki F.C. in Greece.[9]

On 12 September 2009, Nafti scored the only goal of the home match against PAS Giannina F.C. to put Aris top of the Superleague Greece after three matches,[10] and finished his debut season with four goals in 22 league games,[11] with the team ranking fifth.

During the January 2011 transfer window, the 32-year-old Nafti left Aris and returned to Spain, signing an 18-month contract with Segunda División club Real Valladolid.[12] He spent the 2012–13 season with Real Murcia, helping them avoid relegation from the second tier, and had considered retiring from the game before dropping down a division to sign for Cádiz. He established himself in the team, but was troubled by injury, and after Cádiz signed midfielder Jon Ander Garrido in the January 2014 transfer window, Nafti's contract was cancelled.[13][14][15]

International career

A Tunisian international since 2002, Nafti represented the nation in three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, helping it win the 2004 edition, played on home soil. He then appeared in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, playing against Australia (2–0 win) and Germany (0–3 loss).

Nafti was selected for the squad that competed in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, appearing in all three games as Tunisia exited in the group stage.[16]

References

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External links

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  16. ↑ Mehdi Nafti – FIFA competition record
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