Youth
Nasri has earned caps with all of France's youth teams for which he was eligible. He is a member of the group, commonly known as the Génération 1987, that produced current internationals Hatem Ben Arfa, Karim Benzema, and Jérémy Menez, alongside himself. With the under-16 team, Nasri made 16 appearances scoring eight goals. Of the four players, Nasri was the first player to become a regular starter in the team under coach François Blaquart and made his debut in the team's opening match of the campaign against Spain. France won the match 3–0. Nasri scored his first goal for the team on 29 October in its first group stage match against Sweden at the Tournio du Val-de-Marne. On 11 December, Nasri scored the opening goal in the team's 6–1 exhibition thrashing of Greece. At the 2003 Aegean Cup in Turkey, he scored two goals in four matches as France finished the competition in third place. Nasri scored in the team's second group stage match against Israel, a 3–1 win. In the next group stage match, he scored a goal in 5–0 win over the Ukraine. In the third place match against Belgium, Nasri assisted on a goal scored by Ben Arfa. At the Tournio de Montaigu, Nasri scored his only goal in the team's 8–0 win over Gabon in the team's opening group match. France finished the competition runner-up to Italy who defeated France 5–1 in the final match.
At under-17 level, Nasri, Menez, and Ben Arfa were joined by Karim Benzema and tasked with the goal of winning the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship on home soil. Nasri made his debut with the team in the opening match of the season against Sweden netting a goal in a 5–2 victory. In the team's second straight yearly appearance at the Tournio du Val-de-Marne, Nasri scored his lone goal in the competition against the United States in a 2–0 win as France were declared champions without conceding a goal. At the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, Nasri contributed to the team by scoring the equalizing goal against Portugal in the competition's semi-finals. France went on to win the match 3–1 to earn a place in the final. In the final match, France faced Spain. In the match, Nasri scored the game-winning goal just a minute from time to give France its first-ever title in the competition. In total with the under-17s, he made 16 appearances and scored six goals. Due to increased playing time at his parent club Marseille, Nasri stint with the under-18 team was uneventful appearing in only four matches.
The foursome of Nasri, Ben Arfa, Benzema, and Menez returned to international play together for under-19 duty. The four were joined by Issiar Dia, Blaise Matuidi, and Serge Gakpé with the objective of winning the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. The team opened the campaign with two friendly matches against Norway. Over the course of the two matches, Nasri scored two goals: one in a 4–0 win and another in a 5–0 victory. In the first round of qualification for the tournament, Nasri assisted on two goals in the team's 3–1 win over Wales. In the team's next group stage match against San Marino, he scored the third goal in a 3–0 victory. In the final group match against Austria, Nasri scored the opening goal and provided the assist on a Benzema goal in a 2–0 win. In the final round of qualification, Nasri went scoreless. However, despite finishing the round undefeated, France were eliminated after being beaten on points by Scotland. Nasri earned his first call up to the under-21 team under coach René Girard in the team's first match following the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship against Belgium. He started the match and was replaced at half-time by Florent Sinama Pongolle. He featured in qualification matches for the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and appeared as a substitute in both legs of the team's surprising defeat to Israel in the qualifying playoffs. Despite still being eligible to represent the team until 2009, his appearance in the second leg defeat to Israel was Nasri's last with the team.
Read more about this topic: Samir Nasri, International Career
Famous quotes containing the word youth:
“The youth of an art is, like the youth of anything else, its most interesting period. When it has come to the knowledge of good and evil it is stronger, but we care less about it.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)
“In my youth I studied for ostentation; later, a little to gain wisdom; now, for recreation; never for gain.”
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)
“His youth was distinguished by all the tumult and storm of pleasures, in which he licentiously triumphed, disdaining all decorum. His fine imagination was often heated and exhausted with his body in celebrating and deifying the prostitute of the night, and his convivial joys were pushed to all the extravagancy of frantic bacchanals.”
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773)