High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Mathieu Flamini (born 7 March 1984 Marseille, France) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Milan. Flamini was a youth team player for his local professional club Olympique de Marseille. He made his debut for the senior team on December 20, 2003 in the 1 0 victory over Toulouse FC. He impressed for the team as a hardworking midfield player playing 14 times for the club. However it was his performances in Marseille s UEFA Cup campaign that brought him to the attention of the general football world, including the semi-final victory over Newcastle United. He played in the final in Gothenburg which Valencia won 2 0. Due to his age, Marseille was unable to offer him a long term professional contract.