{"id":296546,"date":"2023-12-12T16:17:33","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T16:17:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/?p=296546"},"modified":"2023-12-12T16:17:33","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T16:17:33","slug":"newcastle-cult-hero-hatem-ben-arfa-is-now-one-of-worlds-top-1500-padel-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/soccer\/newcastle-cult-hero-hatem-ben-arfa-is-now-one-of-worlds-top-1500-padel-players\/","title":{"rendered":"Newcastle cult hero Hatem Ben Arfa is now one of world\u2019s top 1,500 padel players"},"content":{"rendered":"
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    Former Newcastle United star Hatem Ben Arfa is forging a new career in a different sport after seemingly quitting football.<\/p>\n

    Although not officially retired from the beautiful game, Ben Arfa has been without a club since last summer when he left Lille. Prior to that he enjoyed a largely solid career in England and France, playing for the likes of Lyon, Marseille, Hull, Nice and PSG.<\/p>\n

    However, he is perhaps best known to fans on these shores for his time at Newcastle United. He spent three seasons in the north east, dazzling fans with his quick-footed trickery (who remembers that<\/i> solo goal against Bolton Wanderers?).<\/p>\n

    READ MORE: Richard Keys' five-year plan for Man Utd with 'Saudi money' leaves pundits gobsmacked<\/b><\/p>\n

    READ MORE: 'David de Gea to Newcastle for six months' has fans relishing 'funniest thing ever'<\/b><\/p>\n

    These days, Ben Arfa is doing something rather different. Having seemingly turned his back on football, the Frenchman has decided to take up the relatively new sport of padel, which is similar to both tennis and squash. <\/p>\n

    Ben Arfa is so good at padel that he's won 70 tournaments in a year and is ranked in the top 1,500 players out of 42,000, according to reports. Roland Mermillod, who is a referee in the sport, told Le Parisien that the 36-year-old spends almost all of his time working on improving at padel. <\/p>\n

    Have you tried padel? Let us know in the comments section below<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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    He said: "Hatem doesn't do anything more than that. He plays almost every day." It certainly seems to be paying off, with Ben Arfa now among one of the best players in the world. <\/p>\n

    Given his newfound love for a different sport, it would appear unlikely that Ben Arfa will return to football anytime soon. The ex-Toon Army star was one of the most exciting players around on his day, but that day never came often enough.<\/p>\n

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    Ben Arfa's former agent gave an insight into the 36-year-old's character, and what he could have achieved, in an interview with French outlet RMC Sport last year. Asked what went wrong with Ben Arfa, he said: "It's a psychological thing from his childhood. He was king, king, king. He was always told what he deserves but never told to work.<\/p>\n

    "I was convinced that I had a player that, if we worked on his mind, would win the Ballon d'Or. He was so talented. It's a huge waste \u2013 maybe the biggest waste in football of the 21st century."<\/p>\n