When you look back over the career path of Steven N’Zonzi it doesn’t seem to indicate he would turn out to be one of the best midfielders in Spain. As a youngster, the three years at PSG aside, he changed club every year until he broke through at Amiens. An unfashionable second division side in France isn’t where most dreams begin but perhaps that instability at youth level helped keep N’Zonzi’s feet on the ground in a sport where so many get lost in the shuffle.

“The first three years after being at PSG were complicated. But there is a moment where you want to demonstrate that you can progress, you can achieve your dreams, and show those who didn’t give you a chance that they were wrong.”

After impressing scouts while at Amien, Blackburn Rovers swooped in to sign the towering defensive midfielder when they were relegated to the French third division. In his debut season he quickly established himself as first choice and was later voted ‘Player of the Year’ by the fans. He showed glimpses of that previous form in the following season but as the team struggled, so did he. After they were relegated N’Zonzi saw it as the right time to leave.

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“[Sam] Allardyce trusted me from the first minute at Blackburn. A lot of people thought I wasn’t going to adapt. I’ve always been thin and they doubted I could adapt to the physical nature of the Premier League. There were doubts but I had three good years there and I progressed a lot.”

N’Zonzi moved to Stoke City for £3m and, much like at Blackburn, started extremely well and was talked up as being a potential star player. Things turned sour quickly though as he fell out with certain staff members and asked to leave. Under new manager Mark Hughes he reiterated his desire to leave despite coming into good form again. At the end of his third season, after rejecting the offer of a new deal at Stoke, he opted to join Sevilla for around £7m.

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Unlike at his previous clubs, his first match in Andalucia was marred by a needless red card. For those who’d seen him perform in the Premier League it came as no surprise as his aggressive, physical style earned him quite the reputation in England. Over in Spain players are protected more and as such N’Zonzi needed to adjust his style in his new surroundings.

This came after a summer in which he suffered from Salmonella poisoning. This ultimately set him back a couple of months as he adapted to Sevilla’s style of play and the role which was required of him. However, to Monchi, N’Zonzi wasn’t a new name on his extensive spreadsheet.

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“I don’t know if Monchi followed me when I was at Amiens but I know he was while I was playing for Blackburn.”

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