Editing Mathieu Flamini (section)

===Arsenal===
On 23 July 2004, Flamini signed a professional contract for English club [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], rejecting Marseille's long-term senior contract offer to which he had already verbally agreed. Soon after the incident, then-Marseille manager [[José Anigo]] stated, "This is a beautiful treason. He used me."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eurosport.fr/football/transferts1/2004/flamini-file-a-l-anglaise_sto616272/story.shtml | publisher = Eurosport | title = Flamini file à l'anglaise |language = fr |date = 22 July 2004 | access-date = 21 June 2012 }}</ref> Arsenal were eventually ordered by The Dispute Resolution Chamber of FIFA to pay Marseille a compensation fee of €480 000 for Flamini.<ref>{{cite news|last=Baron|first=Thomas (15 October 2010)|url=http://www.eurosport.fr/football/transferts/2014-2015/transferts-arsenal-flaire-le-bon-coup-stephane-sparagna-olympique-de-marseille_sto4438970/story.shtml|title=Transferts – Arsenal flaire le bon coup Stéphane Sparagna (Olympique de Marseille)|language=fr|website=Euro Sport |access-date=17 May 2016}}</ref>

Flamini made his Arsenal debut in the 1–4 win at [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] on 15 August 2004. In his first season, he was typically used as a utility player, starting only nine games but used as a [[Substitute (association football)|substitute]] in 12. The following season saw him filling in for a number of injured players, but again unable to command a first team place in his favoured position. He scored his first Arsenal goal on 11 May 2005 in a 7–0 home win against Everton, scoring the seventh goal, the team's last-ever goal scored in their traditional red and white kit at [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]].

In the [[2006–07 Arsenal F.C. season|2006–07 season]], Flamini scored the winning goal against [[NK Dinamo Zagreb|Dinamo Zagreb]] in the qualifying stages of the [[2006–07 UEFA Champions League|UEFA Champions League]]. He also scored important goals against [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]], [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]] and [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] in the Premier League. Despite these important goals, however, he remained unsatisfied with his "utility player" role at the club and in April 2007, he admitted that he would most likely be leaving Arsenal in the summer. Flamini, however, turned down a proposed [[pound sterling|£]]3m move to [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] and remained with the team.

Flamini started in central midfield for Arsenal's first match of the [[2007–08 Premier League]] season due to the absence of [[Gilberto Silva]] and [[Abou Diaby]]. During Arsenal's [[2007–08 Arsenal F.C. season|2007–08 campaign]], he struck up a strong partnership with [[Cesc Fàbregas]], keeping Gilberto out of the starting XI with displays widely regarded by Arsenal fans as a vast improvement on those during his previous years at the club. Flamini enjoyed a generally good rapport with Arsenal's fans, who provided him with his own [[football chant|song]], an adaptation of the theme tune to British television programme ''[[The Sweeney]]''. On 29 January 2008, he scored an extraordinary {{convert|25|yd|adj=on}} strike in Arsenal's 3–0 win over [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] in the Premier League. He played on 8 April 2008, a [[UEFA Champions League]] match in which Arsenal were knocked out by English rival Liverpool. After the match, he was reported injured and it proved to be his last match for Arsenal.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=738435.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411110625/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=738435.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 April 2008|title=Flamini out for three weeks|agency=AFP  |date=10 April 2008|access-date=15 May 2008}}</ref> In April 2009, he stated in an interview that he is still an Arsenal fan and that he has no hard feelings towards the club: "Arsenal are in my heart and they will be in my heart for ever," he said. "I will always be an Arsenal fan and leaving was not easy."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/8010235.stm|title=Mathieu Flamini interview |date=23 April 2009|work=BBC Sport  |access-date=23 April 2009}}</ref>