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Mehdi Nafti

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Mehdi Nafti
Nafti in action for Birmingham in 2005
Personal information
Full name Mehdi Ben Sadok Nafti[1]
Date of birth (1978-11-28) 28 November 1978 (age 45)[1]
Place of birth Toulouse,[1] France
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Tunisia (assistant)
Youth career
1995–1997 Toulouse
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2000 Toulouse 28 (1)
2000–2001 Racing B 21 (0)
2000–2005 Racing Santander 110 (3)
2005 → Birmingham City (loan) 10 (0)
2005–2009 Birmingham City 70 (0)
2009–2011 Aris 32 (4)
2011–2012 Valladolid 51 (1)
2012–2013 Murcia 30 (0)
2013–2014 Cádiz 15 (0)
Total 364 (9)
International career
2002–2010 Tunisia 46 (1)
Managerial career
2016–2017 Marbella
2017 Mérida
2018 Mérida
2018–2020 Badajoz
2020 Free
2020–2021 Lugo
2021–2022 Leganés
2022 Levante
2023 Wydad
2023–2024 Alcorcón
2024- Tunisia (assistant)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Tunisia
Africa Cup of Nations
Winner 2004 Tunisia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mehdi Ben Sadok Nafti (Arabic: مهدي النفطي; born 28 November 1978) is a Tunisian football manager and former player.

Nafti played as a defensive midfielder for Toulouse, Racing Santander, Birmingham City, Aris, Valladolid, Murcia and Cádiz. He was born in France, and won 46 caps for Tunisia, representing the nation at the 2006 World Cup and three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

After retiring as a player he went into coaching, working mainly in Spain. He managed Lugo, Leganés and Levante in the Segunda División.

Playing career

[edit]

Club

[edit]

Born in Toulouse, France, Nafti made his professional debut with his hometown club, Toulouse FC. He was used sparingly during a three-year spell, and also played several games with the reserves. His best season was 1999–2000, as he appeared in 13 games and scored once to help the team return to Ligue 1 after one year of absence.

In summer 2000, Nafti joined Racing de Santander in La Liga and, as in his previous club, started his stint appearing for the B-team. In the 2000–01 season he played in just three games for the main squad, which was eventually relegated, then proceeded to become a very important midfield element for the Cantabrians in the following three years, whilst collecting 41 yellow cards and three red.[2][3][4]

Nafti was signed on loan by Birmingham City in the final minutes of the January 2005 transfer window,[5] making his Premier League debut on 5 February in a 2–0 loss away to Manchester United in which he started and was booked.[6] Sometimes referred to as "Nasty"[7] due to his fiery nature and tendency for cautions, he was primarily signed to replace the outgoing Robbie Savage, and finished the season strongly, which led to a permanent deal being agreed in the summer.[8]

Nafti's 2005–06 campaign came to end before it had even begun, with a severe injury to his cruciate ligaments in a friendly with Deportivo La Coruña in early August 2005.[9] He recovered sooner than expected,[10] and was able to start the last match of the season, a 1–0 loss at Bolton Wanderers, with relegation already confirmed.[11]

After having appeared in 32 games in 2006–07 to help Birmingham return to the top division, Nafti scored his first goal for them on 13 August 2008, in a 4–0 win against Wycombe Wanderers in the 2008–09 League Cup.[12] In June 2009, after the club chose not to renew his contract,[13] he signed a two-year deal with Aris Thessaloniki in Greece.[14]

On 12 September 2009, Nafti scored the only goal of the home match against PAS Giannina to put Aris top of the Superleague Greece after three matches.[15] He finished his debut season with four goals from 22 league games,[16] as Aris finished fifth.

During the January 2011 transfer window, the 32-year-old Nafti left Aris and returned to Spain, signing an 18-month contract with Segunda División club Real Valladolid.[17] He spent the 2012–13 season with Real Murcia, helping them avoid relegation from the second tier, and had considered retiring from the game before dropping down a division to sign for Cádiz. He established himself in the latter team but was also troubled by injury, and after they signed midfielder Jon Ander Garrido in the January 2014 transfer window, Nafti's contract was cancelled.[18][19][20]

International

[edit]

A Tunisia international since 2002, Nafti represented the nation in three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, helping it win the 2004 edition played on home soil.[21] He then appeared in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, playing against Australia (2–0 win)[22] and Germany (3–0 loss).[23]

Nafti was selected for the squad that competed in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, appearing in all three matches as Tunisia exited in the group stage.[24][25][26] The previous 4 June, he scored his only international goal to equalise in a 3–1 qualifying win away to Botswana.[27]

Coaching career

[edit]

On 10 June 2016, Nafti was given his first managerial job, at Segunda División B club Marbella FC, despite reportedly not possessing the licence required to manage at that level.[28] After a series of poor results, he was fired on 7 March 2017.[29]

Nafti was hired by another Segunda B club, Mérida AD, on 27 June 2017;[30] he lasted until 20 December.[31] The following 12 March, after the resignation of his successor, Loren, he returned to the Estadio Romano as manager,[32] but left at the end of the season after failing to prevent their relegation.[33]

In October 2018, Nafti took over as manager of CD Badajoz, also of the third division, until the end of the season.[34] In the 2019–20 season, his team eliminated UD Las Palmas (second tier) and SD Eibar (top flight) from the Copa del Rey before an extra-time loss to Granada CF in the last 16.[35] He was dismissed on 4 February 2020 with the team fourth in the league.[35]

On 9 October 2020, Nafti was announced as manager of Étoile Sportive du Sahel in his home nation,[36] but returned to Spain five days later, after being appointed in charge of second division side CD Lugo.[37] He was sacked from the latter club the following 28 February, after a 1–4 loss to UD Almería.[38]

Nafti replaced sacked Asier Garitano at the helm of CD Leganés, also in the Spanish second division, on 31 October 2021.[39] He left the following 5 June, as his contract would not be renewed.[40]

A week after leaving Leganés, Nafti signed a one-year contract with newly relegated Levante UD.[41] He was sacked on 10 October 2022, having won twice and taken ten points from nine games.[42]

On 2 January 2023, Nafti was hired to replace Hussein Ammouta as manager of African champions Wydad AC of Morocco.[43] His debut three days later in the Botola was a 2–1 loss at SCC Mohammédia.[44] The following month he led the club at the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup on home soil, being eliminated in their first match by Al Hilal SFC on penalties.[45] On 26 February, he was replaced by Juan Carlos Garrido.[46]

On 5 December 2023, Nafti returned to Spain and replaced Fran Fernández at the helm of AD Alcorcón, also in the second division.[47] The following 3 June, after suffering relegation, he left the club.[48]

Playing statistics

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Club

[edit]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Toulouse 1998–99[49] Ligue 1 11 0 0 0 0 0 — 11 0
1999–2000[49][1] Ligue 2 13 1 2 0 1 0 — 16 1
2000–01[49] Ligue 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 11 0
Total 25 1 2 0 1 0 — 28 1
Racing B 2000–01[50] Segunda División B 21 0 — — — 21 0
Racing Santander 2000–01[51] La Liga 3 0 1 0 — — 4 0
2001–02[52] Segunda División 30 0 0 0 — — 30 0
2002–03[53] La Liga 31 2 1 0 — — 32 2
2003–04[54] La Liga 30 1 1 0 — 0 0 31 1
2004–05[55] La Liga 16 0 2 1 — — 18 1
Total 110 3 4 1 — 0 0 114 4
Birmingham City (loan) 2004–05[56] Premier League 10 0 — — — 10 0
Birmingham City 2005–06[56] Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
2006–07[57] Championship 32 0 1 0 1 0 — 34 0
2007–08[58] Premier League 26 0 0 0 1 0 — 27 0
2008–09[59] Championship 11 0 0 0 1 1 — 12 1
Total 80 0 1 0 3 1 — 84 1
Aris 2009–10[60][61] Superleague Greece 22 4 6 0 — 2[a] 0 30 4
2010–11[60][61] Superleague Greece 10 0 1 0 — 4[b] 0 15 0
Total 32 4 7 0 — 6 0 45 4
Real Valladolid 2010–11[62] Segunda División 18 1 — — 2[c] 0 20 1
2011–12[63] Segunda División 33 0 1 0 — 4[c] 0 38 0
Total 51 1 1 0 — 6 0 58 1
Real Murcia 2012–13[64] Segunda División 30 0 0 0 — — 30 0
Cádiz 2013–14[65] Segunda División B 15 0 — — 0 0 15 0
Career total 364 9 15 1 4 1 12 0 495 11
  1. ^ Appearance(s) in Superleague Greece Champions League play-offs
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ a b Appearances in Segunda División play-offs

International

[edit]
Source:[66]
Tunisia
Year Apps Goals
2002 4 0
2003 7 0
2004 12 0
2005 5 1
2006 6 0
2007 4 0
2008 5 0
2009 0 0
2010 3 0
Total 46 1
Mehdi Nafti: International goal
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 4 June 2005 Botswana National Stadium, Gaborone, Botswana  Botswana 1–1 3–1 2006 World Cup qualification[66]

Managerial statistics

[edit]
As of 2 June 2024
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record Ref
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Marbella Spain 10 June 2016[28] 7 March 2017[29] 28 14 7 7 39 33 +6 050.00 [67]
Mérida Spain 27 June 2017[30] 20 December 2017[31] 20 6 7 7 19 21 −2 030.00 [68]
Mérida Spain 12 March 2018[32] 28 May 2018[33] 11 3 5 3 9 9 +0 027.27 [68]
Badajoz Spain 30 October 2018[34] 3 February 2020 57 30 14 13 77 46 +31 052.63 [69]
Lugo Spain 14 October 2020 28 February 2021 24 8 9 7 27 26 +1 033.33 [70]
Leganés Spain 31 October 2021 5 June 2022 32 13 11 8 45 39 +6 040.63 [71]
Levante Spain 12 June 2022 10 October 2022 9 2 4 3 8 7 +1 022.22 [72]
Wydad Morocco 2 January 2023 26 February 2023 12 6 4 2 10 4 +6 050.00 [73]
AD Alcorcón Spain 5 December 2023 3 June 2024 25 7 10 8 16 22 −6 028.00 [74]
Total 218 89 71 58 250 207 +43 040.83 —

Honours

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Tunisia

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Mehdi Nafti". FootballDatabase.eu. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  2. ^ Llamas, Fernando (16 March 2003). "La Real salta el obstáculo del Racing" [Real jump the Racing hurdle]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  3. ^ "El Albacete sale del descenso con una goleada (4–0) al Racing" [Albacete get out of the relegation zone with a rout (4–0) of Racing]. ABC (in Spanish). Madrid. 8 December 2003. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  4. ^ Soto, Víctor (10 January 2005). "Mucha bronca, poco fútbol" [Plenty of aggro, not much football]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  5. ^ "Birmingham recruit Nafti on loan". BBC Sport. 31 January 2005. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  6. ^ "Man Utd 2–0 Birmingham". BBC Sport. 5 February 2005. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  7. ^ Clarkson, Ian (20 February 2005). "Football: I'm called nasty for a reason". Sunday Mercury. Birmingham. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  8. ^ "Birmingham complete Nafti signing". BBC Sport. 30 June 2005. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  9. ^ "Nafti set to miss entire season". BBC Sport. 10 August 2005. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  10. ^ "Nafti continues comeback trail". BBC Sport. 11 April 2006. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  11. ^ "Bolton 1–0 Birmingham". BBC Sport. 7 May 2006. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  12. ^ "Nafti finally ends goal drought". BBC Sport. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  13. ^ "Squad rebuilding begins". Birmingham City F.C. 8 May 2009. Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
  14. ^ "Mehdi Nafti signed Aris FC". Aris F.C. 10 June 2009. Archived from the original on 17 June 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
  15. ^ "Win 1–0 over PAS Ioannina". Aris F.C. 12 September 2009. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  16. ^ "Aris: Mehdi Nafti Superleague 2009–2010". Superleague Greece. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  17. ^ "El Real Valladolid ficha al medio centro Nafti" [Real Valladolid sign central midfielder Nafti] (in Spanish). Real Valladolid. 31 January 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  18. ^ Quiñones Miralles, Javi (20 November 2013). "Mehdi Nafti, "El Padrino" del Cádiz" [Mehdi Nafti, "The Godfather" of Cádiz] (in Spanish). Vavel. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  19. ^ Ruiz, Alfonso; Léon, C. (15 December 2013). "El Cádiz, a ganar para no perder de vista la cabeza" [Cádiz, to win so they don't lose sight of the top] (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). p. 34. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  20. ^ Grima, José (28 January 2014). "Sergio Aragoneses, nuevo portero del Cádiz CF" [Sergio Aragoneses, new Cádiz CF goalkeeper]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  21. ^ "African Nations Cup 2004". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  22. ^ "Santos double gives Tunisia victory". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 21 June 2005. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  23. ^ "Joker Hanke setzt den Schlusspunkt" [Joker Hanke seals the deal] (in German). kicker. 18 June 2005. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  24. ^ "Tunisia 2–2 Saudi Arabia". BBC Sport. 14 June 2006. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  25. ^ "Spain 3–1 Tunisia". BBC Sport. 19 June 2006. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  26. ^ "Ukraine 1–0 Tunisia". BBC Sport. 23 June 2006. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  27. ^ "[CAN/CM 2006] Botswana 1–3 Tunisie" [[ACN/WC 2006] Botswana 1–3 Tunisia] (in French). Tunisie Foot. 4 June 2005. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  28. ^ a b "Mehdi Nafti, el Zidane del Marbella FC para la próxima temporada" [Mehdi Nafti, Marbella FC's Zidane for next season] (in Spanish). Marbella 24 Horas. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  29. ^ a b "El Marbella destituye a Mehdi Nafti y le sustituye Miguel Álvarez" [Marbella dismiss Mehdi Nafti and replace him with Miguel Álvarez]. Marca (in Spanish). 7 March 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  30. ^ a b "Mehdi Nafti, nuevo entrenador del Mérida" [Mehdi Nafti, Mérida's new manager]. Marca (in Spanish). 27 June 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  31. ^ a b F.G. (21 December 2017). "El adiós elegante de Nafti" [Nafti's elegant farewell]. Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  32. ^ a b Fernández, Menchu (12 March 2018). "Mehdi Nafti vuelve al Mérida tras ser despedido en diciembre" [Mehdi Nafti returns to Mérida after being dismissed in December]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  33. ^ a b E.P.E. (28 May 2018). "El Mérida vuelve a kilómetro 0" [Mérida back to square one]. El Periódico Extremadura (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  34. ^ a b "Mehdi Nafti como sustituto Patxi Salinas" [Mehdi Nafti in place of Patxi Salinas]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). EFE. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  35. ^ a b S.D. (4 February 2020). "Nafti, destituido como entrenador del Badajoz" [Nafti, dismissed as manager of Badajoz]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  36. ^ "Mehdi Nafti pone rumbo a Túnez" [Mehdi Nafti goes to Tunis] (in Spanish). Badajoz Deportes. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  37. ^ "Mehdi Nafti, nuevo entrenador del CD Lugo" [Mehdi Nafti, new manager of CD Lugo] (in Spanish). CD Lugo. 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  38. ^ "El CD Lugo determina el cese de Mehdi Nafti como entrenador del primer equipo" [CD Lugo announce the sacking of Mehdi Nafti as first team manager] (in Spanish). CD Lugo. 28 February 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  39. ^ "Mehdi Nafti, nuevo entrenador del C.D. Leganés" [Mehdi Nafti, new manager of C.D. Leganés] (in Spanish). CD Leganés. 31 October 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  40. ^ "El C.D. Leganés y Mehdi Nafti separan sus caminos" [C.D. Leganés and Mehdi Nafti split ways] (in Spanish). CD Leganés. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  41. ^ "Mehdi Nafti firma con el Levante UD como nuevo entrenador del primer equipo" [Mehdi Nafti signs with Levante UD as new first team manager] (in Spanish). Levante UD. 12 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  42. ^ Martínez, Alberto; Serrano, Víctor (10 October 2022). "Miñambres despide a Nafti y se pone de entrenador interino del Levante" [Miñambres dismisses Nafti and puts himself as interim manager of Levante]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  43. ^ "Mehdi Nafti, entraîneur du Wydad à Maroc 2022 : carrière, clubs, palmarès" [Mehdi Nafti, manager of Wydad at Morocco 2022: career, clubs, honours] (in French). FIFA. 2 January 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  44. ^ "Nafti debuta amb derrota en el Wydad" [Nafti debuts with defeat at Wydad]. Super Deporte (in Catalan). 5 January 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  45. ^ Bakhkhar, Anas (4 February 2023). "CdM des Clubs : le Wydad AC éliminé aux tirs au but par Al-Hilal" [Club WC: Wydad AC eliminated on penalties by Al Hilal] (in French). Foot Mercato. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  46. ^ "Juan Carlos Garrido est le nouvel entraîneur du Wydad de Casablanca" [Juan Carlos Garrido is the new manager of Wydad Casablanca] (in French). Hespress. 26 February 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  47. ^ "Mehdi Nafti, nuevo entrenador de la A.D. Alcorcón" [Mehdi Nafti, new manager of A.D. Alcorcón] (in Spanish). AD Alcorcón. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  48. ^ "La A.D. Alcorcón y Nafti separan sus caminos" [A.D. Alcorcón and Nafti split ways] (in Spanish). AD Alcorcón. 3 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  49. ^ a b c "La fiche de Mehdi Nafti (Toulouse FC)" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. Retrieved 23 March 2018. Select season and competition via dropdown menus.
  50. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2000–01 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  51. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2000–01 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  52. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2001–02 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  53. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2002–03 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  54. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2003–04 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  55. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2004–05 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  56. ^ a b "Games played by Mehdi Nafti in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  57. ^ "Games played by Mehdi Nafti in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  58. ^ "Games played by Mehdi Nafti in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  59. ^ "Games played by Mehdi Nafti in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  60. ^ a b "Mehdi Nafti: Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  61. ^ a b "Mehdi Nafti" Μεχντί Ναφτί (in Greek). Aris FC. Archived from the original on 19 November 2010.
  62. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2010–11 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  63. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2011–12 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  64. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2012–13 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  65. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2013–14 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  66. ^ a b Mehdi Nafti at National-Football-Teams.com
  67. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2016–17 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  68. ^ a b "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2017–18 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  69. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2018–19 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
    "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2019–20 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  70. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2020–21 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  71. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2021–22 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  72. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2022–23 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  73. ^ "Wydad AC: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  74. ^ "Matches Mehdi Nafti, 2023–24 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  75. ^ "Tunisia win Cup of Nations". BBC Sport. 14 February 2004. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
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