Mehdi Ben Sadok Nafti (; born 28 November 1978) is a Tunisian football manager and former player. Nafti played as a defensive midfielder for Toulouse, Racing Santander, Birmingham City, Aris, Valladolid, Murcia and Cádiz. He was born in France, and won 46 caps for Tunisia, representing the nation at the 2006 World Cup and three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. After retiring as a player he went into coaching, working mainly in Spain. He managed Lugo, Leganés and Levante in the Segunda División. Playing career Club Born in Toulouse, France, Nafti made his professional debut with his hometown club, Toulouse FC. He was used sparingly during a three-year spell, and also played several games with the reserves. His best season was 1999–2000, as he appeared in 13 games and scored once to help the team return to Ligue 1 after one year of absence. In summer 2000, Nafti joined Racing de Santander in La Liga and, as in his previous club, started his stint appearing for the B-team. In the 2000–01 season he played in just three games for the main squad, which was eventually relegated, then proceeded to become a very important midfield element for the Cantabrians in the following three years, whilst collecting 41 yellow cards and three red. Nafti was signed on loan by Birmingham City in the final minutes of the January 2005 transfer window, making his Premier League debut on 5 February in a 2–0 loss away to Manchester United in which he started and was booked. Sometimes referred to as "Nasty" due to his fiery nature and tendency for cautions, he was primarily signed to replace the outgoing Robbie Savage, and finished the season strongly, which led to a permanent deal being agreed in the summer. Nafti's 2005–06 campaign came to end before it had even begun, with a severe injury to his cruciate ligaments in a friendly with Deportivo La Coruña in early August 2005. He recovered sooner than expected, and was able to start the last match of the season, a 1–0 loss at Bolton Wanderers, with relegation already confirmed. After having appeared in 32 games in 2006–07 to help Birmingham return to the top division, Nafti scored his first goal for them on 13 August 2008, in a 4–0 win against Wycombe Wanderers in the 2008–09 League Cup. In June 2009, after the club chose not to renew his contract, he