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Mathieu Flamini
Personal information
Date of birth	March 7, 1984 (age 25)
Place of birth	Marseille, France
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Defensive midfielder, Right back
Club information
Current club	Milan
Number	16
Youth career
2001–2003	Marseille B
Senior career*
National team‡
	* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of May 31, 2009.; † Appearances (Goals).; ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of September 10, 2008

Mathieu Flamini (born 7 March 1984 Marseille, France) is a professional footballer and French national who plays as a midfielder for the French national team and for the Serie A club Milan.^[1]^[2]

[edit] Club career

[edit] Marseille

Flamini was a youth team player for his local professional club Olympique de Marseille. He made his debut for the senior team on December 20, 2003 in the 1–0 victory over Toulouse FC. He impressed for the team as a hardworking midfield player playing 14 times for the club. However it was his performances in Marseille’s UEFA Cup campaign that brought him to the attention of the general football world, including the semi-final victory over Newcastle United. He played in the final in Gothenburg which Valencia won 2–0. Due to his age, Marseille was unable to offer him a long term professional contract.

[edit] Arsenal

[edit] 2004–05 season

On 23 July 2004, Flamini signed a professional contract for English outfit Arsenal, rejecting Marseille's long-term senior contract offer to which he had already verbally agreed. Soon after the incident, Marseille manager José Anigo stated, "This is a beautiful treason. He used me and I vow to get him back one day."

Flamini made his Arsenal début in the 4–1 win at Everton on August 15, 2004. He was used as a utility player starting 9 games but being used as a substitute in 12. The following season saw him filling in for a number of injured players, but unable to command a first team place in his favoured position.

[edit] 2005–06 season

While he is naturally a defensive midfielder, he has been used as a right back. Due to injuries in Arsenal's back line, he has also operated in the left back position, after injuries to Ashley Cole, Gaël Clichy, Pascal Cygan, Lauren and Kerrea Gilbert. However, despite being right-footed, Flamini performed respectably during the remainder of Arsenal's Premiership and Champions League campaign. When Ashley Cole became fit again, though, he returned to the starting lineup. In May 2006 he came on as a 76th minute substitute in the Champions League Final in Paris which Arsenal lost to Barcelona.

[edit] 2006–07 season

In the 2006–07 season, Flamini scored the winner against Dinamo Zagreb in the qualifying stages of the Champions League. He also scored important goals against Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers, and Liverpool in the Premiership. However, despite these important goals, he remained unsatisfied with his "utility player" role at the club and in April 2007, he admitted that he would probably be leaving Arsenal in the summer. However, Flamini turned down a proposed £3m move to Birmingham City after a long talk with manager Arsène Wenger and remained with the team.

[edit] 2007–08 season

Flamini started in central midfield for Arsenal's first match of the 2007–08 Premier League season, due to the absence of Gilberto Silva and Abou Diaby. During the start of Arsenal's 2007–08 campaign, he struck up a strong partnership with Cesc Fabregas, keeping the likes of Gilberto Silva out of the starting XI with displays widely regarded by Arsenal fans as a vast improvement on those during his previous years at the club. Flamini enjoyed a generally good rapport with Arsenal's fans, who provided him with his own song, an adaptation of the theme tune to British television programme The Sweeney. On January 29 2008, he scored an extraordinary 25-yard (23 m) strike in Arsenal's 3–0 win over Newcastle United in the Premier League. He played on 8 April 2008, a UEFA Champions League match in which Arsenal were knocked out by English rival Liverpool F.C. After the match, it was reported he was injured. It proved to be his last match for Arsenal.^[3] In April 2009 he stated in an interview that he is still an Arsenal fan and that he has no hard feelings towards the club, "Arsenal are in my heart and they will be in my heart for ever,"I will always be an Arsenal fan and leaving was not easy" he said.^[4]

[edit] Milan

Flamini signed a contract with Milan on 5 May 2008 worth €5.6 million per season over a four year period. [1] Flamini wore the number 84 on his jersey to represent his year of birth. He made his Serie A debut on August 30, 2008 in a 2-1 loss to Bologna.[2]

In the first half of the season, Flamini did not enjoy the number of starts or appearances in the ageing Italian team as he enjoyed in his last season at Arsenal, and was regarded as a utility player at A.C. Milan as he was in his first few years at Arsenal. However in the second half of the season, injuries to other players and consistent good form helped him to cement a starting place in the side. With Milan ailing to find a stable defence and a lack of a fit, consistent and reliable right back, Gianluca Zambrotta was switched to the opposite side to help Flamini earn a place as a tenacious right back.

For the 2009-10 season he will now wear number 16, like he did at Arsenal, rather than his year of birth 84.

[edit] Playing style

Flamini's natural position is central midfielder, where he formed a formidable partnership at Arsenal with Cesc Fabregas. His passing is also very consistent - he attempted the 2nd highest number of passes in the Premier League during the 2007–08 season.

[edit] International career

Flamini accepted his first call up to France by coach Raymond Domenech for a friendly against Argentina at the Stade de France on February 7, 2007 after Jérémy Toulalan was ruled out due to injury. He later made his international debut in a friendly against Morocco on November 16, 2007 as a substitute.^[5]

[edit] Career statistics

Updated to games played November 10, 2009.^[6]

Club	Season	Domestic League		Domestic Cup¹		European Competition²		Other Tournaments³		Total
Club	Season	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Marseille	2003–04	14	0	-	-	9	0	-	-	23	0
Marseille	Total	14	0	-	-	9	0	-	-	23	0
Arsenal	2004–05	21	1	7	0	4	0	-	-	32	1
	2005–06	31	0	5	0	12	0	1	0	49	0
	2006–07	20	3	6	0	6	1	-	-	32	4
	2007–08	30	3	2	0	8	0	-	-	40	3
	Total	102	7	20	0	30	1	1	0	153	8
Milan	2008–09	29	0	1	0	7	0	-	-	37	0
	2009–10	9	0	-	0	-	0	-	-	1	0
	Total	38	0	1	0	7	0	-	-	38	0
Career Total		154	7	21	0	46	1	1	0	214	8

¹Domestics Cups for Arsenal years include both FA Cup and League Cup
²European competitions include the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup
³Other tournaments include the FA Community Shield

[edit] Honours

[edit] With Marseille

Runner-up

UEFA Cup: 2004

[edit] With Arsenal

Winner

FA Community Shield: 2004
FA Cup: 2005