In the 2003-04 season, Arsenal named a relatively unknown face in their squad in the form of Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas Soler. Little was known that the 16-year-old will become one of the most celebrated midfielders and will don the Captain’s armband at the north London club, living up to the legacy of players like Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva.
Cesc Fàbregas, one of the most successful midfielders in the scenario of European football in the past decade, started off his career at a local Spanish club called Mataro in 1995. In 1997, he made his move to Barcelona and joined the La Masia Academy. However, in 2003, the Spaniard made up his mind to move to England and join Arsenal’s youth team, as chances were hard to come by at the Catalan club.
The move proved to be a well-taken decision in terms of his career as the player started to attract attention with his footballing skills and eventually got his big break as he was named in the Arsenal squad under the tutelage of one of the best managers of all time in the Premier League, Arsene Wenger.
The French mastermind was quick to understand Fàbregas’ potential and put it to good use. He had to struggle a little to fix his place in the initial stages of his senior career but after the departure of the French midfield ace Patrick Vieira to Juventus in the following season, the Spaniard found a firm footing in the side and started to play in the midfield on a regular basis alongside Gilberto Silva.
In the 2006-07 Premier League season, Fàbregas had the most prolific time of his career at Arsenal. He emerged as one of the key creative players not only in the English football but was also hailed as one of the best midfielders in Europe. He won the Golden Boy Award, presented by Italian media outlet Tutto Sport. He was nominated for both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year, which were eventually won by Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he won Arsenal’s Player of the Season award.
In 2008, the Spanish sensation was named as the captain of the club. He led a new breed of Gunners onto the pitch and made a name for himself not only as a brilliant player but also as the possessor of strong leadership qualities. He won the PFA Young Player of the Year award in the same season and also led his side to the semifinal of the Champions League where they were knocked out by ephemeral rivals Manchester United.
His consistent performances for the Gunners saw a number of big-name clubs looking to get him out of the Emirates stadium. In 2011, he returned to his former club Barcelona and won a number of accolades with the Catalan club, including La Liga, Copa Del Rey, Spanish Super Cup, and UEFA Super Cup, playing alongside some of the best players in the history of world football, one of them being the great Lionel Messi.
Fàbregas, however, returned to the Premier League in 2014 to play for another London club, this time Chelsea. The west London outfit brought him into the side to increase depth in the midfield and the maestro did not disappoint his new employers. His phenomenal performances for the Blues helped them in lifting the Premier League title in the 2014-15 season, an accolade he also won in the 2016-17 season under the tutelage of Antonio Conte with the Blues.
However, in the last season, his aura started to fade away and he was eventually sold to AS Monaco, where he is currently plying his trade. Though Fàbregas is considered as one of the best midfielders of his generation, given his immense talent and abilities, he probably deserved a better career in terms of the achievements of his career. The unceremonious way in which he was left out by Chelsea was also not the way he would have expected his departure to be.
On his birthday, we wish the 32-year-old Spanish midfield maestro a hail and hearty life ahead of him. Happy Birthday, Cesc. Thank you for being such an inspiration.
Watch here the best goals of him
