11 April 2023 , 17:32
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Former Arsenal and Manchester City star Samir Nasri has opened up about his explosive fallout with France manager Didier Deschamps in 2014.
Nasri says he "blew a fuse" after Deschamps left him out of France's squad for the 2014 World Cup, despite him playing a key role for Manchester City that year as they won the Premier League and the League Cup.
As a result of his omission, Nasri retired from international football at the age of 27 while hitting out at Deschamps. "Let's be honest, as long as he is going to be the manager I don't think I have a shot," Nasri said at the time.
And having now retired from football altogether, Nasri revisited his bust-up with Deschamps on the Zack en Roue Libre show, claiming he was "taking the p***" by not picking him for the World Cup.
"He screwed up my dream", Nasri said. "Playing a World Cup in the country of football [Brazil] was my thing. I had a crazy good season.
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"I thought I was going to Brazil to destroy the World Cup. I believed it. We [Manchester City] were crowned [Premier League] champions and I scored in the League Cup final.
"When you see the names of the players called up, I blew a fuse. I thought he is taking the p*** with me."
Nasri also said he and Deschamps are not on speaking terms, having refused to talk to his former boss after they both happened to be eating in the same restaurant in Dubai. "I can only wish him the best, but I don't care," he added.
"He's not my friend and I won't say hi to him because I don't like him as a person." France went on to lose 1-0 to Germany in the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup, before Deschamps guided them to victory at the 2018 tournament