Mehdi Nafti

Mehdi Nafti (born November 28, 1978 in Toulouse) is a French-born Tunisian football (soccer) player.

He was signed on loan by Birmingham City F.C. in the January transfer window of 2005 from Racing de Santander. Often referred to as "Nasty," due to his fiery nature and tendency for cautions, he was primarily signed to replace the outgoing Robbie Savage, whose acrimonious departure infuriated Birmingham fans. Nafti finished the season strongly leading to many fans looking for a permanent acquisition. This happened in the closed season with Nafti signing a permanent deal with the club.

Nafti's 2005/6 season came to end before it had even begun, with a bad injury to his cruciate ligaments which people assumed would rule him out of contention for the blues until the 2006/2007 season.
However, on the last day of the 2005/2006 season, Nafti surprised most Birmingham fans and made his return for the club against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok stadium. Although Birmingham were already relegated, this return came as some good news for all Blues fans as Nafti would go on to become a vital part of the team in 2006/2007 as they returned to the Premier League, at the first time of asking.