Born just outside Marseille to Algerian parents, it was always going to be hard for a footballer as silky as Samir Nasri to avoid comparisons with the great Zinedine Zidane. When he was snapped up by Arsenal in the peak of the 'Wenger-ball' years, it made complete sense. Here was this uber-talented attacking midfielder who could glide past opponents for fun, why wouldn't he be the Gunners' next marquee player?
Nasri earned a move to Manchester City in 2011 and was part of the side that won the Premier League title on the final day of that season, hilariously pictured celebrating with fellow Frenchman and QPR opponent Djibril Cisse at full-time. All this happened before the playmaker turned 25, yet this was the apex of a career that went by the wayside afterwards.
Though he fulfilled on his potential early, Nasri never quite hit those same heights during the supposed prime years of his career. Instead, that chapter will be remembered as one of infamy.
This is the story of Nasri, 'Drip Doctors' and one of the craziest online stories football has ever seen…
AFPDecline and exit
Nasri managed to stay relatively injury-free for his first three seasons at City before suffering a spate of different issues during the 2014-15 campaign. A hamstring problem then ruled him out for most of the following season, during which he required extensive treatment on what ought to have been a routine recovery.
"The original estimate by the doctors was that I'd be out for between four to six months and the surgeon told me the same, but I've already done two months and I'm targeting the international break in March to be back properly with the squad," Nasri said in January 2016. "With this injury I had to have an operation that resulted in nearly 100 stitches in my thigh. My surgeon told me this was a rare injury as the muscle had detached from the bone and the tendon was also 90 percent detached and had to be stitched back together so it was something that doesn't happen very often."
By the time he returned to full fitness at the start of 2016-17, a new age had begun. Pep Guardiola had been installed as City manager and Kevin De Bruyne was the team's creator-in-chief, leaving a depleted Nasri to seek opportunities elsewhere.
AdvertisementAFPBorn again
At the very end of the summer 2016 transfer window, Nasri joined Sevilla on a season-long loan. The Andalusian side had just appointed highly-rated Argentine Jorge Sampaoli as their new head coach, and he was intent on creating a team for the purists. Nasri was perfect for that.
The Spanish media raved over Nasri's debut, during which he covered the second-most distance in a 2-1 win over Las Palmas. The slower style of La Liga football suited Nasri, whose burst of pace had been almost totally nerfed at this point. As long as he was fit, which was more often than not, the playmaker was almost a guaranteed starter, be that as a No.10 or on the wing.
Sampaoli's Sevilla went into La Liga's Christmas break third in the table, one place above Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid. Talk of a surprise title charge didn't sound crazy, either. Los Nervionenses had substance and style, even if keeping up with the powerhouses of Real Madrid and Barcelona would prove too tough a challenge.
That winter, however, Nasri's career changed forever. And not for the better.
The Drip Doctor will see you now…
Nasri spent his mid-season break in Los Angeles, during which time he visited the 'Drip Doctors' clinic. He was supposedly looking to receive a simple injection of vitamins, later clarifying he even had a prescription for the session after falling ill. Some testimonies claim this was recommended to him by his ex-girlfriend Dr Sarabjit Anand, who was based in Maryland.
Drip Doctors were delighted to welcome a name like Nasri and wanted to shout to the world that he had visited. A tweet from December 27, 2016 from their official account read: "We provided [Nasri] a concierge Immunity IV Drip to keep him hydrated and in top health during his busy soccer season with Sevilla." A picture of Nasri with founder and CEO Jamila Sozahdah was attached.
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It all seemed pretty inconspicuous. If Nasri wanted to go and receive this sort of medical treatment in his spare time, that was his business. But then all hell broke loose.
The internet never forgets
In a series of tweets that were deleted not too long after they were posted, Nasri – or at least the person with access to his account, later insisting he had been hacked – claimed he was "also provided a full sexual service too right after". The account called Sozahdah a "w****" that "comes and f**** the same night" and wrote in another post: "Please tell the world as well of the other concierge treatment your girl gave straight after the iv drip."
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The absurdity of these posts led people to believe Nasri wasn't actually the person writing these tweets, with some quickly pointing to the possibility of a vengeful lover. Indeed, he had supposedly been in hot water with girlfriend of four years Anara Atanes in the weeks leading up to this episode, and she was the next person to be dragged into the posts.
"Sorry guys I just had to let the world know that my girlfriend Anara who was with me at the time had booked this girl to give me an iv drip," and "On arrival Anara had left the room and this girl had asked for my number and to go out with me that night. She then continued to give me…" were the tweets that followed, though some of these entries were being destroyed almost as quickly as they went up. "Unfortunately my twitter keeps deleting tweets. But just letting you boys know if u are in the la area and feeling lonely msg @DripDoctors" recognised this.
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There then appeared to be a back-and-forth between the owner of the account and the person who had supposedly hacked into it. In an attempt to prove his innocence, Nasri tweeted: "Someone hacked my account and tried to spread rumors which is fake I am sorty for all the ppl involved in that i apologies." This was then followed by: "Everything i said was 100 percents facts. The girl in the picture jamilah. Came to my hotel room at 3 am and continued other services… That dont come on their menu."
At that point, the Drip Doctors account thought it would be best to dispel these allegations. "[Nasri's] account has been HACKED and the recent tweets about @dripdoctors are all FALSE, this will be confirmed shortly. Thanks," was their own tweet. But the person behind Nasri's profile had the final say on the matter that fateful evening.
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"Did jamilah not come to the club and then my hotel room at 3am?" was the question posed by Nasri's account in response. "Im just trying to promote the amazing service of @DripDoctors and the services that come after too… And how you f*** all ur clients on the same day as giving them an iv drip," was the final post of the saga that night.
And if you don't believe all of these tweets weren't actually posted, you can still view this article from GOAL with actual screenshots from in the moment. This really happened!