Blues have had many Rottweiler-like midfielders down the years. You know the sort I mean, spoilers, tough tacklers? the kind of central midfielders who cannot accurately pass a ball but contribute in other ways. None more so than Mehdi Nafti.
Nicknamed Mr. Nasty for his tough and often mistimed tackling, Nafti signed for Blues, initially on loan, in January 2005.
Nafti`s name appeared in the referee`s notepad on more occasions than it did on the score sheet. In fact, his only goal for Blues came in a 4-0 League Cup win at Wycombe Wanderers.
The Toulouse-born man was never going to get the recognition he probably deserved at St. Andrew`s. Earmarked as a replacement for the departing Robbie Savage, Nafti was always expected to live up to the highs of the Welshman.
After signing permanently Nafti`s first full season as a Blues player was over before it began. He suffered a cruciate ligament injury in a pre-season fixture against Deportivo La Coruna which kept him out of all but one game. He returned for the final game of the 2005-06 season in a 1-0 defeat at Bolton, but Blues had already had their relegation confirmed.
The 2006-07 season was a mixed one for Nafti. He helped the club to promotion but wasn`t offered a new contract and left the club for Greek side Aris.
Nafti played for Toulouse, Racing Santander, Valladolid, Murcia and Cadiz and represented Tunisia on 44 occasions.
Mehdi Nafti by numbers:
Age: 37
Appearances for Blues: 80
Goals for Blues: 1
Total career appearances: 410
Total career goals: 10
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