Flim Flam Flamini

Not by any means the most talented player on earth, but at the same time one of the most consistently underrated, Mathieu Flamini has finally stumbled upon some kind of recognition in the shape of a call-up to the French national team by coach/nutcase Raymond Domenech. It's a great moment for the Flamster, who has had an interesting career so far.

He started off at Olympique Marseille, and broke through to the first team fairly late, but with considerable impact - at 18, a spate of injuries led to his inclusion in central midfield, and he kept his place, helping to drive Marseille to the UEFA Cup final. He showed a lot of determination, and quite a bit of creativity and enterprise in taking the team forward, as well as supporting the defence. He was one of the most promising midfielders in France by the end of that season, and what was most surprising was that at the ripe old age of 18, he was still on a youth contract. Compare this to players like Fabregas, Walcott, Rooney, etc, who sign full-time pre-contracts that go into effect on their 17th birthdays, and you have Flamini almost 19 and still not on a senior contract.

This provided a loophole, because since Flamini hadn't signed a professional contract yet, he was free to go wherever he pleased without compensation. At the time he was having problems at Marseille, and when he met Arsene Wenger on a plan and discussed his problems with him, Wenger moved quickly to snap Flamini up. It was a transfer that was deemed legal according to FIFA rules, but Marseille disputed it in the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport). Technically, the CAS had no jurisdiction over his transfer, but Arsenal were keen to avoid controversy and let the player and team get on with their work, and so they paid the compensation.

Flamini has since proved a very handy player for the Arsenal, but perhaps a different one to what French fans might have envisioned. At Marseille he was a smart box-to-box player, who could drive a midfield. When Arsene Wenger signed him, he said that one of Flamini's talents was his ability to play creatively in both defence and offence, and to use the ball well. Mathieu has since been regarded as more of a workhorse at Arsenal - a young, modern day Ray Parlour or Gilles Grimandi; full of determination and spirit, but not the most technically gifted. This is unfortunate because Flamini is really a very underrated player with more-than-admirable technique, but unfortunately in a midfield that has had Vieira, Edu, Cesc Fabregas, Pires, Bergkamp, Reyes, Van Persie, Rosicky and Alex Hleb since his arrival, his light has shone a bit dimmer than it did in France. Those guys are amongst the most talented players in the world, nevermind Arsenal or the Premiership, and it's easy to see why Flamini has been viewed as a water-carrier whilst playing alongside them.

The truth is that Flamini is a very talented guy. Physically and mentally, his workrate, determination and doggedness equal if not surpass those of the names I previously mentioned. He is also a quite decent player, although you don't see that from him when Cesc, Hleb and Rosicky are on their game, because they take over as playmakers. He is happy to play his role for the team, and chip in with goals wherever possible. However, if anyone watched the Arsenal v Portsmouth game from 2005-2006 where the Gunners were 4-0 in 15 minutes (that was my last time at Highbury), you would have seen two exceptional through balls from Flamini to Henry, who scored off both of those. That day a lot of players were missing, and the Flamster was in the centre along with Gilberto, and duly took the initiative. Flamini definitely has bags of talent, but in the context of the team, he always plays the supporting role, and you have to give him some credit for that.

Flamini also possesses remarkable intelligence; he chugs around the midfield well, but in Arsenal's run to the Champions' League final last year, he was terrific as a left-back. He got up and down the field, and kept some of Europe's top wingers quiet. It's not easy to just step into a completely unfamiliar position like that and do so well. He also has played at right-back, and over the past two seasons has played in a midfield three, a midfield five, and on the left and right flanks, and done decently. He is not the kind of player that is going to beat his man and score a stunning goal, but he understands the game well, understands what he needs to contribute to it, and understands how to support his teammates. These are all highly important, but highly underrated traits.

So people should look at all these things when they immediately write him off as a Grimandi or Parlour or Deschamps (the latter two did some great things in my opinion), and also remember that he's just 22. Not every footballer is perfect from the age of 17 like Fabregas. Some develop much slower, and imagine in 2-3 years when Flamini has significant international and club experience under his belt, has won a few things, and has played and done well in so many positions. He will be invaluable, and one of those players that you never ever want missing from the squad. Technically, he will probably never take the world by storm, and physically, he will probably never tackle the opposition into submission, but hard work, determination and intelligence are all equally important characteristics, especially in a team full of artists like Arsenal.

Well done Mathieu, and congratulations!