Hatem Ben Arfa has undoubtedly been Nice's main man this term. A basket of tricks with 11 goals to his name, the much-travelled forward seems to have at last found his feet, settling on the Cote d'Azur.
And, prior to his current injury setback, the 28-year-old's performances earned him the title of Ligue 1 player of the month for January.
'Very happy'
"Yes it's nice to be recognised," he told The Ligue 1 Show on beIN SPORTS. "Just being nominated is great, so winning is really good, yes. I'm playing in an environment that is allowing me to express myself so I'm very happy here in Nice. I can enjoy myself here every weekend thanks to my team-mates, the coach and the president."
One of the senior members of a very young squad, the former Marseille man is sparkling at the Allianz Riviera. And just as much as Ben Arfa has wowed fans, his talented team-mates have caught the French international's eye.
"I owe this good season to the team," he confesssed. "I think that in five to six years people will look back at this team and say it's true that at Nice, they had a good team. There are lots of good players, and a great coach, so the Nice you see playing well right now is a team that has the right ingredients, and I am one of those ingredients."
Chequered past
Though incredibly gifted, Ben Arfa has not enjoyed the career many had predicted for him. Frequently portrayed as a trouble maker and falling out with his coaches at Marseille, Newcastle and Hull City, the forward found a feeling of trust at Nice that had previously been alien to him.
"I felt that the club really wanted to convince me to come here. I felt they had a project for me," he recalled. "Then I talked to the coach, I was surprised by him, he was different from what I had expected - he is very sincere and caring. I liked the way that I was being integrated in the project, I found just the environment I needed at that point."
nd in that very environment, Ben Arfa has forged a special link with his coach.
"My relationship with Claude Puel is like that of a father and son, in the sense that he wants to accompany me and wants me to progress," Ben Arfa explained. "And it works because his message seems to be getting through. I'm very happy to have met Claude Puel, he has helped my career get back on the right track so I'm really very happy and grateful.
"Sometimes I go home and think, 'The people understand me here'. And that understanding alone means a lot. I need a certain freedom on the pitch, and I feel that the coach understood that. So he knows the positives and negatives I bring, but I think this season has been mostly positive."
Straightening out
It is with relief that Ben Arfa can regard his season as a success. After all, this time last year, the five-time Ligue 1 winner was playing five-a-side with friends to keep fit, as a result of a ban incurred from his farcical transfer back to France. But a disrupted career now seems to be straightening out.
"I understand myself better - I know myself better. I'm more at ease both with myself and with others. I have always been the one and only person responsible for my decisions," he declared. "Those around me accompany me in my choices, unconditionally, whether my decision is right or not, those around me follow me. People try to point me in certain directions but I'm stubborn so it's not easy!
'I'm not finished yet'
"My career path has been a rollercoaster ride, I have struggled to find stability. It has been hard. Big things were expected of me from a very young age and I didn't live up to that! Today I'm getting back to a good level and I'm not finished yet. I know how I work, I know I am still getting better and I don't see that stopping."
Ben Arfa's brilliant performances earned him a recall to the France squad in November, something many did not expect while Didier Deschamps was still coach of Les Bleus. The forward's attitude saw him fall out with Deschamps while the two were at Marseille in 2010, but the situation appears to have been defused over time.
"I'm on very good terms with Didier Deschamps," he said. "He's somebody I really appreciate. He's a very fair man and you can see that in his decision making, so I appreciate him for that. He can read people well. He's got plenty of experience and I think he is a top coach."
European dream
The man described as 'impossible' by former coach Alan Pardew is now fighting to make it to the Euros, though he remains measured in his views.
"I would love to be there, that's for sure. Every player wants to represent their country at the Euros, especially since it's in France. If I am lucky enough to be selected, then I will go there to win, and not for anything else," he enthused. "But it's important I don't forget that I've recovered - I've come back from a low place. Of course it would be disappointing not to be there yes, but considering where I was last summer then I could understand if I wasn't selected."
So how does a newly mature Hatem Ben Arfa regard himself?
"I think he is someone with a bigger heart than is visible, who can take a step back and admire life," Ben Arfa offered. "I'm getting a bit emotional now."
With a new, wiser outlook both on and off the pitch, Hatem Ben Arfa's exceptional talent is by no means fading away.
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