For those of you who aren’t already aware, former Newcastle and Hull winger Hatem Ben Arfa is currently plying his trade for French club Nice.

And as the city name would suggest, things have been pretty enjoyable for Ben Arfa so far this season, with seven goals in nine games. The Frenchman has already equaled his seasons’ best for goals scored. However, these stats do the 28-year-old an injustice, because the quality of the goals he has scored is something from a different planet.

How then, has a player who was released from Newcastle United and deemed surplus to requirements by Hull City, become one of the standout players in European football right now?

Ben Arfa has always had great potential; during his early years at Lyon he was tipped as a future star of the game. In France he was constantly linked with big money moves to the Premier League. Perhaps he waited too long for his blockbuster transfer, although when he eventually left France for England he joined Newcastle United at the age of 23, already needing to resurrect his career.

And the Frenchman did just that, he was unplayable during his first two years at St James’ Park. The then Newcastle manager Alan Pardew saw Ben Arfa as one of the world’s best.

"With the ball at his feet, he’s magic. As magic as Suarez or Messi at times," is how Pardew once described the Frenchman. Pardew has since been mocked for his comments, given the career decline of Ben Arfa since, although his performances so far this season are certainly worthy of Pardew’s accolades back in 2012.

So what’s next for Ben Arfa? Could he move back to the Premier League, will he play in EURO 2016, could he win next year’s Ballon D’Or? Nothing is impossible with the former French international.

Six months ago he was rumored to be retiring from football at the age of 27, now he is among the world's best. Some will argue that he is succeeding in a league that is inferior to the Premier League, which is a fair argument. However, if true, then I’m going to be watching a lot more French football because he is just too damn good to watch!

Regardless of the potential plot twists that lie ahead for Ben Arfa, let’s just hope that he can sustain his current form and finally fulfill his potential; it would be a footballing travesty if the game lost the real Ben Arfa once again.

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