During his younger years in football, Samir Nasri was seen as one of the most promising stars in the game. The former attacking midfielder possessed immense potential, with his style of play and abilities seeing him be compared to fellow French compatriot, the legendary Zinedine Zidane.
After spending 3 years at Arsenal, Nasri made the surprising switch to Manchester City for a £25 million transfer fee. The move was met with anger by Arsenal fans, as they felt betrayed by their shining youngster.
Let us now rewind his playing years at Manchester City, where he spent the next 6 years of his career.
A mesmerizing debut season
Nasri made his Manchester City debut on 28th August in a league fixture against Tottenham. He went on to have a dream debut, assisting 3 goals in City's 5-1 thrashing of Spurs. The Frenchman supplied another assist for Sergio Agüero in City's next match against Wigan Athletic that ended 3-0. City's shining Frenchman began to produce sparkling performances in the months that followed.
Fast forward to January 2012, Nasri came back to haunt Spurs again by scoring in City's 3-2 win over the London-side. The attacking midfielder played key roles in succeeding league matches against Chelsea and Wolves.
Manchester City ended their season with an unforgettable 3-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers on the final match day, in what is still considered as one of the greatest finishes in league football history. The feat meant that City pipped rivals United to the league on goal difference, and Nasri finally got his hands on the Premier League title.
A mixture of brilliance and misses
The French attacking midfielder continued his fine form in the following season, scoring and assisting in City's 3-2 2012 Community Shield victory over Chelsea. Just a week later, Nasri yet again scored and made an assist in a 3-2 thriller that saw City beat newly promoted Southampton. This was followed by Nasri scoring City's only goal in their Champions League group game against Ajax, which ended in a 3-1 loss for the Citizens.
Despite those heroic moments, there were downhill one's as well. Nasri was widely criticized for not blocking Robin van Persie's winning goal for Manchester United in the Manchester Derby that took place in December.
In March 2013, he put up a man of the match performance in a 4–0 win against Newcastle United. A month later, Nasri scored the opening goal as City defeated Chelsea 2–1 in the FA Cup semi-final.
City finished that season without any major silverware post their Community Shield triumph, and Nasri had a mixed season with ups and downs.
Back to his best
Nasri's first goal of the 2013–14 season came against the most special team, as City demolished rivals Manchester United 4-1. The Frenchman later played a pivotal role in City's 5-2 victory over CSKA Moscow in the Champions League, supplying assists to both Sergio Agüero and Álvaro Negredo. This victory was a historic feat, as it meant City's first ever knockout stage qualification in Champions League history.
City later managed to clinch their first silverware of the season, as they beat Sunderland 3-1 to win the 2014 League Cup. Nasri was yet again pivotal, as he scored City's second goal. His performance in the match also saw him receive the Alan Hardaker Trophy, which is given to the Man of the Match.
The French maestro continued his heroics as the season progressed. In a crucial Premier League match away to Everton on 3rd May, Nasri provided the assist for Edin Džeko's game-winning goal as City came from behind to win 3–2 and go top of the table with two matches remaining.
On 11th May, Nasri scored Manchester City's opening goal in a 2–0 win over West Ham United, as the club clinched the 2013–14 Premier League title.
Aftermath
The rest of his time at City was plagued by injuries, which meant that Nasri was unable to repeat his previous heroics. He eventually left the club in 2017 after a memorable 6 years at the blue side of Manchester.
Nasri may not even have been the most brilliant of signings in City's post Abu Dhabi era, but his contributions in several key games are never to be forgotten. Thus, he will always remain as an important figure that played a part in City's rise as one of Europe's strongest clubs.
