The Sun reported on Saturday, October 17, 2026, that Jack Wilshere has identified former Arsenal star Samir Nasri as the footballer with the biggest ego, offering a glimpse into how he viewed his former teammate during their time at the Emirates Stadium.

Wilshere began his journey at Arsenal’s academy when he was only nine years old. After developing through the club’s youth ranks, he made his first-team debut in 2008 at the age of 16.

The Englishman spent the next decade as part of Arsenal’s senior squad before departing in 2018. Throughout his time at the club, he shared the dressing room with numerous prominent players. While he developed a strong appreciation for several of them, others made a less favourable impression on him.

Nasri fell into the latter category. Arsenal recruited the Frenchman from Marseille in the summer of 2008 for a fee of approximately £12 million, bringing an exciting attacking midfielder into Wenger’s team.

Nasri quickly made his mark thanks to his technical ability, creativity, close control and versatility. During his three-year spell with Arsenal, he played 125 matches before making a controversial transfer to Manchester City in 2011.

At the time, Wilshere was a young player making his way into senior football alongside more experienced teammates. He has often spoken highly of Cesc Fabregas, but his opinion of Nasri appears to have been very different.

Speaking to David Ornstein during The Athletic’s Truth or Padel interview series, Wilshere was asked to name the player he considered to have the biggest ego in football. He immediately selected Nasri, leaving no doubt about his choice.

“Samir Nasri!” Wilshere answered without hesitation.

Nasri’s decision to leave Arsenal for Manchester City in 2011 generated significant discussion, with many observers suggesting that the financial package offered by City played a key part in his decision.

Nevertheless, Nasri later blamed Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke for contributing to his departure. In an interview with The Guardian in April 2013, he said Wenger had assured him that he would be allowed to stay if Fabregas moved on.

Nasri explained to The Guardian: “Wenger told me that, if Cesc left, I would stay, but Kroenke wanted the money.”

The former midfielder further claimed that Arsenal intended to bring in only Gervinho following Fabregas’s exit. He also pointed out that he had entered the final year of his contract at the time.

Wenger offered a different explanation, insisting that Kroenke’s financial interests were not behind Nasri’s departure. According to the former Arsenal boss, the club decided to sell the midfielder because he had declined to extend his contract and had only one year left on his existing agreement.