Hatem Ben Arfa (Arabic: حاتم بن عرفة, French pronunciation: ; born 7 March 1987) is a French footballer who plays as a winger and an attacking midfielder, for Ligue 1 club Rennes and the France national team. He has been described as "one of the best-rated talents in France", but has been criticised by the media and players alike for lacking discipline.
Ben Arfa's career started in the Île-de-France region, where he trained at AC Boulogne-Billancourt and Versailles. In 1999, he was selected to attend the Clairefontaine academy. He spent three years there before leaving for Lyon, where he won four Ligue 1 titles. In his early career at Lyon, he played as a centre forward, but moved into a winger role during the 2007–08 season. In the summer of 2008, Ben Arfa signed with rivals Marseille for €11 million in a move that required the intervention of the Ligue de Football Professionnel. With Marseille, he won the 2009–10 league title, his fifth overall, as well as the Coupe de la Ligue in 2010. After two years at Marseille, Ben Arfa joined English club Newcastle United on loan for the 2010–11 season. The deal was made permanent later in the season.