
Despite being just 23 years old, Lassana Diarra is already a very experienced player. The French midfielder joined Real Madrid hoping to become the master of its midfield, but his versatility also enables him to play as a right back.
The French international has spent most of his career in England. Determined to become a football player, he joined Nantes' youth system as a child and later landed at Le Mans, with whom he played in the French Second Division. The last French side he played for was Le Havre (2003-05).
Chelsea took interest in Lass' excellent performances in the French championship and signed him in 2005, making him the youngest player in club history. He won the Premiership and a Carling Cup with the Blues. Arsene Wenger later brought him toArsenal, where he remained only half a season before joining Portsmouth, where he would immediately see more playing time. He became one of the best players in the Premiership with Pompey.
France has produced many excellent midfielders in recent years, includingh Marcel Desailly, Patrick Viera and Claude Makelele. Diarra is the latest to join such an illustrious list because he is strong, solid in defence and covers a large part of the pitch. He is excellent in the aerial game despite not being too tall and he is capable of scoring goals from a distance thanks to a powerful shot. His versatility allows him to play both as a midfielder and as a right back.

| Liga Española 1ª División 2009-10 | Champions League 2009-10 | Copa del Rey 2009-10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | 20 | 6 | 1 | |||
| Home Matches Played | 10 | 3 | 1 | |||
| Away Matches Played | 10 | 3 | 0 | |||
| Matches Started | 18 | 6 | 1 | |||
| Matches Subbed In | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Matches Subbed Out | 3 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Minutes Played | 1662 | 570 | 71 | |||
| Minutes Played Starter | 1626 | 570 | 71 | |||
| Minutes Played Sub | 36 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Home Minutes Played | 822 | 283 | 71 | |||
| Away Minutes Played | 840 | 287 | 0 | |||
| Goals Scored | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Headers Scored | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Penalty Kicks Scored | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Free Kicks Scored | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Goals w/ Right Foot | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Goals w/ Left Foot | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Goals as Starter | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Goals as Sub | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Home Goals Scored | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Away Goals Scored | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Goals Conceded | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Penalty Kicks Conceded | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Free Kicks Conceded | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Home Goals Conceded | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Away Goals Conceded | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Crosses Into Big Box | 16 | 8 | 8 | |||
| Crosses Into Small Box | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Crosses Shot on Goal | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Fouls Committed | 61 | 21 | 1 | |||
| Fouls Drawn | 19 | 5 | 1 | |||
| Offside | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Shots | 8 | 4 | 1 | |||
| Home Shots on Goal | 6 | 3 | 1 | |||
| Away Shots on Goal | 2 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Penalty Kicks Taken | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Free Kicks on Goal | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Headers on goal | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Shots w/ Right Foot | 6 | 3 | 1 | |||
| Shots w/ Left Foot | 2 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Shots on Goal | 4 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Shots Off Post | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Yellow Cards | 10 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Yellow Cards Provoked by Opponent | 3 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Red Cards | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Red Cards for Double Yellow | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Red Cards Provoked by Opponent | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Scoring Percentage | 12 | 0 | 0 | |||
| On-Goal Percentage | 50 | 25 | 0 | |||
| Assists | 8 | 4 | 1 | |||
| Assists w/ Goal | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Turnovers | 118 | 51 | 9 | |||
| Steals | 89 | 41 | 2 | |||
| Balls Saved Under Posts | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Corners | 1 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Penalties Committed | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Penalties Received | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Penalties Saved | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total Passes | 1050 | 378 | 78 | |||
| Passes Completed | 884 | 305 | 58 | |||
| Passes Incompleted | 166 | 73 | 20 |

ARTICLE - 07/06/2009
ARTICLE - 04/06/2009
INTERVIEW - 20/04/2009