Ben Arfa Nearly Returned to Nice at 39, but Puel Vetoed the Move

Hatem Ben Arfa came close to making a surprise return to OGC Nice during the last January transfer window, three years after his final professional appearance with Lille in 2022. According to Nice-Matin, Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivère, back at the helm of the club in December 2025, personally approached the former French international, who has never officially announced his retirement.

Rivère’s idea was straightforward: offer Ben Arfa a role as a late-season substitute on a symbolic salary to work around the club’s financial constraints, and allow him to participate in the Eagles’ French Cup campaign. A scenario that looked promising on paper, a decade after the best season of the player’s career at Nice: 17 goals and 6 assists in Ligue 1 under Claude Puel’s management in 2015-16.

It was precisely Puel, now back as manager of the Gym, who put an end to the project. Keen not to create unrealistic expectations around a player approaching 40 and absent for four years, and to preserve squad harmony, the coach laid down a non-negotiable condition: Ben Arfa had to first regain satisfactory physical fitness, either through individual preparation in Paris or by joining the reserve team.

This prospect proved incompatible with the player’s expectations. Ben Arfa, who has devoted himself to padel in recent years while remaining open to a return to professional football, was apparently unwilling to spend several months in the background before joining the first team. Rivère then chose to abandon the idea, ending what could have been an unexpected epilogue to one of the most singular careers in French football.