Hatem Ben Arfa made headlines earlier in April when he ‘celebrated’ the one-year anniversary of his last appearance for Paris Saint-Germain.
The Frenchman posted a photo on Instagram of himself with a cake and a single candle, writing: “Happy birthday to me. Celebrating one year in the cupboard.”
Ben Arfa, 31, can laugh about it. But deep down he must be feeling the pain about not playing.
Especially given that this has been another successful season for PSG.
The French club sealed the Ligue 1 trophy with a 7-1 victory over Monaco on Sunday and last month defeated the same club to win the Coupe de la Ligue.
The former Newcastle United man has already admitted he plans to leave PSG when his contract expires at the end of the season.
But fans want one thing for Ben Arfa before his departure – to see him on the pitch.
Ben Arfa’s trending on Twitter
Ben Arfa can’t be recognised as a Ligue 1 champion until he plays one minute in the competition. With five matches remaining, Unai Emery has a decision to make.
It would seem odd not to play Ben Arfa, even for a matter of minutes, now that the title is sewn up.
But there could be an issue that hasn’t been shared that explains why the attacker has been ignored this season.
Whatever the case, football fans managed to get #HatemChampion trending on Twitter in France in a desperate attempt to get him to play before the season is out.
Ben Arfa recently took to Instagram to announce the impending end of his PSG career.
“Soon my PSG adventure ends and despite the difficult moments, I am happy to have worn his shirt,” he said.
“I will retain wonderful memories of my team-mates, I appreciate their continued support and I will always love this club.”
Trouble has followed Ben Arfa throughout his career and according to Goal, a couple of off-the-pitch incidents didn’t go down well with his current employers.
The player has apparently perfected an impression of Emery that his teammates enjoy, but the manager doesn’t.
There are also allegations that Ben Arfa was spotted eating a kebab after a training session.
Ben Arfa has endured a miserable run at the Parc des Princes, but it’s nice to see the fans hoping for a positive ending.
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