This story is about Cesc Fàbregas, the man, who came on in the Final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and turned the game on its head. Cesc Fàbregas is a talented Spanish midfielder currently plying his trade for AS Monaco in France. Once Spain’s chosen No.10, Fàbregas has had his moments in Spain, England and the national team. While the world remembers him for his wily displays of skill and passing range, we take a look at the 10 things you didn’t know about Cesc Fàbregas.
A Product of La Masia
You must be knowing about Cesc Fàbregas that he was born on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in the much-debated region of Catalonia. Cesc had a knack for the game very early on. Backed by his dad, he went for Barcelona trials at the age of 11, made the cut and settled in La Masia alongside the likes of Pep Guardiola, Lionel Messi, and Gerard Pique.
He simply could not break into the first team by 2002, by then he was a regular starter for Barcelona B. This encouraged Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to snap him up in the summer of 2003 and bring him to London.
The English Summers
Another tale about Cesc Fàbregas take us to him as a talented Spanish midfielder on English shores, Cesc Fàbregas urged Gunners fans to dream along with him. The departure of the Thierry Henrys, Robert Pires and Dennis Bergkamp’s made no difference to Wenger’s style of play as Fàbregas developed into one of the best midfielders the Premier League has ever seen. He became the focal point of a young team under Wenger, despite multiple offers from his native Barcelona.
He served the Gunners unquestioningly for 8 years, even serving as the captain during his term before he accepted the third offer from Barcelona, unable to resist the urge to feature at the best club in Europe alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Xavi.
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About Cesc Fàbregas’ Barcelona nightmare
If you don’t know about Cesc Fàbregas’ Barcelona time, the story you know is incomplete. The transfer to Barcelona was done in pomp and show, much like a homecoming hero. Fàbregas started his first match in a Barca shirt against arch-rivals Real Madrid and was unfortunately involved in the incident that left rival left-back Marcelo with a broken foot. Three players were sent off on the night, including Cesc. He scored his first goal in the UEFA Super Cup against Porto.
However, he could never settle into the first team at Barcelona being a shadow of his Arsenal self and played in a much-withdrawn role. Fans grew frustrated and the rumor mill started rolling. Fàbregas finally left Barca unceremoniously for Chelsea in 2014.
Former Red, Now a Blue
Another story about Cesc Fàbregas talks about his change of jerseys. Stamford Bridge was Cesc Fàbregas’ new home as he looked to settle in the very city that had made him a star, albeit in the Western part of it. Chelsea is arch-rivals to Arsenal, whom Fàbregas spent 8 glorious years with. Fans on the red half of London didn’t take his transfer well and he was subject to a number of fan rants, attacks, and abuses.
Chelsea treated Cesc well and he became a crucial member of the team once Antonio Conte took over. He played as a deep-lying midfielder, pulling the strings, using his wide range of passing to tear opposition defenses apart. He won the Premier League with both Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge.
The French Adventure
About Cesc Fàbregas, no story is complete without his French adventure. Maurizio Sarri came in to replace Antonio Conte at the end of the 2017-18 campaign. He brought the Sarri-ball with him to Chelsea and also the best player to execute it – Jorginho. The former Napoli midfielder is a player very much like Fàbregas, sits deep, defends well and has an eye for key passes. This Sarri-Jorginho partnership meant Fàbregas was deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.
The midfield was packed with talents in the form of Jorginho, Kante, Barkley, and Kovacic (on loan from Real Madrid). This prompted Cesc to look elsewhere and he ended up signing for an AS Monaco team in dire need of inspiration. Having churned out world-class talents a year or two back in the form of Mendy, Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, Lemar, Monaco relied on the powers of Fàbregas to bring stability to the club in difficult times.
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Troublesome Relationship
One thing about Cesc Fàbregas, that may have impacted his game is his personal life. Daniella Semaan, 12 years older than Cesc Fàbregas, started seeing the Spanish heartthrob in 2012 after Spain were already World champions. The relationship took off at a time when Semaan’s marriage with his first husband was at crossroads.
However, despite a lot of pubic eye and criticism, the couple managed to stick together and have three kids after the completion of the divorce. Cesc married Daniella in 2018 at the Cliveden Palace after 6 years of being together. A heartwarming story, nonetheless.
Once a Star, now barely recognized
Starry about Cesc Fàbregas? Cesc was the poster-boy of Spanish football, albeit in the best days of the nation’s footballing history. He was offered the No.10 shirt, given a pivotal role to play under Vincente del Bosque and is a World Cup winner. However, despite his starring roles with Chelsea, he didn’t play for the national team post the Euro 2016.
This is stunning in the sense that Fàbregas was supposed to be the light-bearer of the modern Spain national team after the departures of Xavi, Puyol and Andres Iniesta. Instead, young talents like Rodri, Isco, and Sergio Roberto have taken up that mantle.
A Love-Hate Relationship with Gunners fans
One more thing about Cesc Fàbregas that you might not be knowing is that he and Arsenal fans share a peculiar relation. It is one of trust, yet of betrayal, one of love and yet of despise. He rose to fandom as he captained Arsenal aged 21, became a critical player of the team. He paid back the trust his fans put in him rejecting multiple offers from Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
However, in 2011 he finally moved to Barca. The relationship soured when he came back to England and to none other than Arsenal’s cross-town rivals Chelsea. While he’s won two Premier Leagues with Chelsea, he never finished better than fourth with Arsenal.
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His Favorite, a Treble-Winning Coach
Admiring fact about Cesc Fàbregas is that Pep Guardiola is Fàbregas’ favorite player, having played together at La Masia. Cesc looked up to his senior Guardiola, who basked in the ideas of Johan Cryuff’s football, one that echoed around the stands at Camp Nou. Despite declining multiple times, he had to give in to the call of the Catalan when he was at the helm of Barcelona, in 2011, when he could have easily stayed at Arsenal and attained legendary status.
Regrets about Messi
Another story to know about Cesc Fàbregas is related to his Barcelona days. Once his transfer to Camp Nou form Arsenal was confirmed, all fans could look forward to was the partnership and interplay between one of the best midfielders of the modern game and Lionel Messi, the best forward in World football. However, things didn’t go according to plan as they had a good season together but then Fàbregas had huge spells out with injury, cutting him off the first team structure and consequently his playing time with Leo.
#स्पोर्ट्सक्रंच: क्या आप जानते हैं ये 10 बातें ज़ेम्स रोरियेस के बारे में? #Rodríguez #JamesRodríguez #RealMadrid@jamesdrodriguez @realmadrid https://t.co/zHl3DhZDRs
— SportsCrunch (@SportsCrunch) May 6, 2020