Cesc Fàbregas
Fàbregas in 2011 |
| Personal information |
| Full name |
Francesc Fàbregas Soler[1] |
| Date of birth |
(1987-05-04) 4 May 1987 (age 25)[1] |
| Place of birth |
Arenys de Mar, Spain |
| Height |
1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in)[1] |
| Playing position |
Midfielder |
| Club information |
| Current club |
Barcelona |
| Number |
4 |
| Youth career |
| 1995–1997 |
Mataró |
| 1997–2003 |
Barcelona |
| 2003 |
Arsenal |
| Senior career* |
| Years |
Team |
Apps† |
(Gls)† |
| 2003–2011 |
Arsenal |
212 |
(35) |
| 2011– |
Barcelona |
28 |
(9) |
| National team‡ |
| 2002–2003 |
Spain U16 |
8 |
(0) |
| 2003–2004 |
Spain U17 |
14 |
(7) |
| 2005 |
Spain U20 |
5 |
(0) |
| 2004–2005 |
Spain U21 |
12 |
(8) |
| 2006– |
Spain |
63 |
(8) |
| 2004– |
Catalonia |
2 |
(0) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:01 6 May 2012 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 01:22, 2 March 2012 (UTC) |
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas Soler (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈsɛsk ˈfaβɾəɣəs]; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.
Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16. Following injuries to key midfielders in the 2004–05 season, he went on to establish himself as Arsenal's starting central midfielder, playmaker, and captain. He broke several of the club's records in the process, earning a reputation as one of the best young players for his position. In 2011, he returned to Barcelona for an initial fee of £29m (€34m) with a further £4m (€5m) in variables.
In international football, the Spaniard's national career began when he represented the Under-17 side at the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland. As a result of his club performances, he was called up to the senior squad in 2006. He has played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008 and 2010 FIFA World Cup, helping Spain to become eventual winners in the two most recent tournaments.
Fàbregas was born in Arenys de Mar, Barcelona, Catalonia[2][3] to Francesc Fàbregas, Sr., who runs a property company, and Núria Soler, the owner of a pastry company. Fàbregas has supported FC Barcelona since childhood and went to his first match when he was nine months old with his grandfather.[4] He began his club football career with CE Mataró, before being signed for Barcelona's La Masia youth academy aged 10 in 1997.[5] His first coach, Señor Blai, reportedly did not select Fàbregas for matches against Barcelona in an attempt to hide him from their scouts.[6] This tactic, however, was unable to withstand Barcelona for long, and Mataró gave in and allowed Fàbregas to train with Barcelona one day per week. Eventually Fàbregas joined Barcelona's academy full time. His initial training was as a defensive midfielder playing alongside notable names such as Gerard Piqué and Lionel Messi. Although he was a prolific scorer, sometimes scoring even more than 30 goals in a season for the club's youth teams, he did not manage to play a first team game at the Camp Nou.[7] During his time at Barcelona's youth academy, Fàbregas idolised Barcelona's then-captain and number four Josep Guardiola, who would later give Fàbregas his shirt as consolation when Fàbregas' parents divorced.[8]
Sensing that he would have limited opportunities at Barcelona,[9] Fàbregas joined Arsenal in their Academy,[10] signing for the London club on 11 September 2003.[3] Initially, he found life difficult in England's capital but soon struck a friendship with Spanish-speaking team-mate Philippe Senderos, who helped him settle down.[11] As a 16-year-old, Fàbregas did not contemplate breaking into the first team immediately but looked up to senior players like Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva, while concentrating on training and learning the English language.[11] He nevertheless made his debut for Arsenal not long after, on 23 October 2003, in a League Cup tie at home to Rotherham United. In doing so he became Arsenal's youngest ever first team player, aged 16 years and 177 days.[12] He then became the youngest goalscorer in Arsenal's history in a later round of the League Cup, scoring in a 5–1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers.[13] Although Arsenal went on to win the league unbeaten in the 2003–04 season,[14] Fàbregas was not awarded a winner's medal because he did not play a single league game.[15]
It was not until the start of the 2004–05 season that the Spaniard started making first team appearances in matches outside the League Cup. His first match of the season was against Manchester United in the FA Community Shield. Following an injury to Vieira, Fàbregas stepped in and made four consecutive Premier League starts. He was praised for his performances in those games, even claiming a goal against Blackburn Rovers in a 3–0 victory, and becoming Arsenal's youngest ever goalscorer in a league game.[16][17] With further injuries to Edu and Gilberto Silva, he received more playing time in all competitions.[2][9] He signed his first professional contract with Arsenal in September 2004,[10] which committed his long-term future to the club.[18] In the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, he became the second-youngest goalscorer in the competition's history after scoring the third goal against Rosenborg in a 5–1 win.[19] He concluded his season by winning his first honours with Arsenal when he was in the starting eleven that defeated Manchester United on penalties in the 2005 FA Cup Final.[20]
After the departure of Vieira to Juventus, Fàbregas was given the Frenchman's number 4 shirt and featured regularly in the Arsenal central midfield alongside Gilberto Silva. He made 49 appearances in all competitions during the 2005–06 season.[15] Despite his young age, his performances came under greater scrutiny due to his increased involvement in the first team. Further, as Fàbregas possessed a smaller frame and played with less aggression than Vieira, there were initially doubts over his ability to fill in the void left by the Frenchman.[21] Nevertheless, Fàbregas asserted his own style of play and impressed pundits in the Champions League against Real Madrid and Juventus.[22][23][24] In the latter, he scored Arsenal's first goal and set up Thierry Henry for the second,[22] at the same time proving that he could compete against tough, hard-tackling midfielders like Vieira.[24] He then played in the Final against his former club Barcelona, but Arsenal were defeated 2–1,[25] completing a trophyless 2005–06 campaign for Arsenal.
Fàbregas celebrates a goal with his Arsenal team-mates
Fàbregas' increase in exposure drew transfer speculation during the summer; Real Madrid expressed a desire to sign the Spaniard despite his long-term contract with Arsenal,[26] but Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger stated that Arsenal would not listen to any offers.[27] In September 2006, with six years left on his deal, Arsenal offered a new five-year deal (with an option to extend by a further three years) to the midfielder, which he signed on 19 October 2006.[28] While the contract was unusually long, Fàbregas cited Arsenal's playing style and Wenger as reasons for his long-term commitment to the club.[29][30]
Fàbregas was appointed captain of the team during the 2008–09 season
The 2006–07 season was a learning experience for the young Arsenal squad and Fàbregas. The club again failed to secure any major honours and were defeated by city rivals Chelsea in the League Cup Final.[31] However, Fàbregas emerged as one of the key creative players for the team, playing in every single league game.[15][32] He kickstarted Arsenal's 2006–07 UEFA Champions League campaign when he scored a brace in a 3–0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in a qualifier match.[33] In the Premier League, he notched up 13 assists, which was the second-highest total in the league.[15][32] He ended the season with several individual honours, including the Golden Boy award, presented by the Italian paper TuttoSport, based on a poll of leading writers across Europe.[34] He was also named in the 2006 UEFA Team of the Year,[35] and named FA Premier League Player of the Month for January 2007.[36] Additionally, he was nominated for both PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year, although both awards went to Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo.[37] In June 2007, he was named Arsenal's Player of the Season, taking in 60% of the votes.[38]
The 2007–08 season began with much uncertainty for Arsenal. First, David Dein, the club's vice-chairman, left amidst allegations of internal strife, followed by the departure of the club's all-time top goalscorer and captain, Thierry Henry, who signed for Barcelona. There was also speculation over Wenger's future with the club.[39] Fàbregas knew that he would become the most important player for Arsenal, but stated he was ready for the challenge.[40] He started the season well, chalking up goals and assists,[15] and website soccernet attributed the early success of Arsenal to the young Spaniard.[41] His start to the season also earned him the O2 Player of the Month award from Arsenal fans for August, September and October,[42] as well as the Premier League Player of the Month for September.[43] With Arsenal leading the league table until March, Fàbregas was equally instrumental in the club's 2007–08 Champions League campaign; in the return leg against Milan, the midfielder scored late in the game to send Arsenal into the quarter-finals.[44] Though Arsenal ended the season trophyless,[45] Fàbregas amassed several personal awards. On 11 April 2008, Fàbregas was nominated for the PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards for the second year running;[46] he was later crowned the winner of the latter, and named in the PFA Team of the Year. He was also named the 2007–08 Arsenal.com Player of the Season.[47]
Fàbregas as captain during the 2008–09 Champions League semi-final
On 24 November 2008, 14 league games into the 2008–09 season, Fàbregas was named as the successor to William Gallas as club captain.[48][49] However, just as Arsenal were getting back into the title race after a poor start to the season, the Spaniard was ruled out for four months after sustaining a knee injury against Liverpool.[50] The Gunners eventually finished the season without any silverware, coming in fourth in the league and being knocked out at the semi-finals of the 2008–09 Champions League campaign.[51][52] In tandem with Arsenal's policy to groom its young players, the team that Fàbregas led into the new season consisted mostly of the same young nucleus as before, with the likes of Nicklas Bendtner, Gaël Clichy, Abou Diaby, Denílson, Samir Nasri, Alexandre Song, and Theo Walcott in tow.
Fàbregas in a game against rivals
Tottenham in November 2010
In the opening league game of 2009–10 season, Fàbregas scored a brace and managed two assists in Arsenal's 6–1 away win against Everton.[53] Arsenal went on to secure qualification for the 2009–10 Champions League campaign by beating Celtic over two legs, but their early momentum to the season was disrupted by consecutive league game losses to Manchester United and Manchester City. The team bounced back strongly after this setback, and with Fàbregas being prolific in scoring and setting up his teammates, it went unbeaten in the next 13 games. Despite suffering four league losses even before mid-season approached, Arsenal managed to lead the league standings after 22 games. On 31 March 2010, in the Champions League first leg of the quarter-final against Barcelona, Fàbregas suffered a leg fracture before scoring the equalising goal in the game which ended 2–2.[54] Arsenal, who were four points behind league leaders Manchester United, were deprived of their captain for the remaining six league games of the season;[54] they were subsequently eliminated by Barcelona in the Champions League, and fell out of the league title race. Fàbregas was later named to the PFA Team of the Year.[55]
Fàbregas tries to subdue an argument between future teammate
Busquets and Arsenal's
Van Persie.
Before the start of the 2010–11 season, there was once again intense media speculation about the Spaniard's future, and in June 2010, a €35 million bid from Barcelona was rejected.[56][57][58] The 2010–11 season turned out to be an extremely competitive one in the Premier League; even though Arsenal had lost five games before mid-season, they were jostling for pole position with Manchester United and Manchester City.[59] Going into late February, Arsenal were still in contention for the quadruple, but within a span of two weeks they lost in the League Cup final, were eliminated by Barcelona in the Round of 16 of the Champions League, and defeated in the FA Cup quarter-final.[60] Although Fàbregas did not play in the League Cup Final, it was his misplaced backheel pass during the second leg of the Champions League game against Barcelona that allowed them to level the aggregate score. Arsenal remained in contention for the league title until a series of draws in the final third of the season caused them to fall too far behind league leaders Manchester United; they ended the season fourth. The following season was once again marked by uncertainty. Barcelona made several bids for Fàbregas, while Nasri, Arsenal's star performer the previous campaign, was courted by Manchester City.
On 15 August 2011, Barcelona signed Fàbregas for an initial fee of £29 million (€34 million) with a further £4 million (€5 million) in variables,[61] ending one of the most protracted transfer sagas in recent times.[62] Fàbregas joined a team that had won three La Liga titles in a row and two Champions League titles in three years, and one that featured the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, and David Villa. He made his debut in the second leg of the Supercopa de España, coming on as a substitute against Real Madrid. Barcelona won the tie 3–2 and 5–4 on aggregate.[63] He scored his first goal in a 2–0 win against FC Porto as Barcelona won the 2011 UEFA Super Cup,[64] and his first league goal on his league debut against Villarreal CF.
Although he features regularly for the Spain national football team, Fàbregas' international career began at youth level. At the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship held in Finland, he finished as top scorer of the tournament despite playing in midfield, and was voted Player of the Tournament.[7] Spain finished runners-up in the tournament to Brazil.[65] Fàbregas was next involved in the 2004 UEFA U-17 European Championship, where Spain also finished runners-up.[66] He was named the Golden Player of the tournament by FIFA.[66]
After emerging as one of Arsenal's key players in only his second season at the club, it did not take long for Fàbregas to be called up to the senior squad. Noting his impressive performances in Arsenal's 2006 Champions League campaign, Spain coach Luis Aragonés named the teenager in the team for a friendly against Ivory Coast.[67] In that game, Fàbregas became the youngest player capped for Spain in 70 years, beating Sergio Ramos' record.[2] He received favourable reviews for his début, and was involved in the build-up to Spain's first goal in the 3–2 victory over the Ivorians.[2][68]
On 15 May 2006, Fàbregas was selected for the Spanish 2006 FIFA World Cup squad. During the tournament, he came on as a second-half substitute in Spain's first two group matches, contributing an assist to striker Fernando Torres in their 3–1 victory against Tunisia.[69] He then started alongside Spain's reserve players (including then-Arsenal teammate José Antonio Reyes) in Spain's third group match against Saudi Arabia.[70] He earned a starting role in Spain's first knockout-stage match against France, in place of Marcos Senna, but Spain lost 3–1.[71] Fàbregas also became the youngest player in Spanish football history to participate in a World Cup when he came on as a substitute for Luis García after 77 minutes in the 4–0 victory against Ukraine on 13 June 2006; he was then 19 years and 41 days old.[72] He was later nominated for the Gillette Young Player of the World Cup, but Germany's Lukas Podolski won the award.[73]
Fàbregas celebrating Spain's Euro 2008 championship
In UEFA Euro 2008, Fàbregas was issued with squad number 10, rather than 18 which he had previously held.[74] Despite featuring mostly as a substitute, the midfielder made a considerable impact in Spain's campaign. He scored his first international goal in that competition in Spain's 4–1 win over Russia and also had an assist in that game.[75] Spain won all three of their group games and met Italy in the quarter-finals. In that match, Fàbregas scored the winning penalty in the penalty shoot-out after the teams remained deadlocked 0–0 after extra time.[76] In the semi-finals, Spain defeated Russia 3–0 with Fàbregas providing two assists.[75] The midfielder made the starting eleven in the Final against Germany where Spain prevailed 1–0; this was Spain's first major title since 1964.[77] For his efforts, Fàbregas was named in the Team of the Tournament, a 23-man squad selected by the UEFA Technical Team.[75]
After missing out for several months due to his injury, Fàbregas regained his place as a regular in Vicente del Bosque's squad. In June, he was named in the team for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He scored his second international goal in a 5–0 win against New Zealand in the competition's group stage.[78] In the semi-finals against the United States (which Fàbregas started), Spain suffered a shock 2–0 loss, and its 15-game winning streak came to an end.[79]
Fàbregas was selected as a part of del Bosque's 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[80] With del Bosque preferring a starting midfield of Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, Fàbregas did not start in any of Spain's games in the competition. He featured as a substitute in four of their seven matches, in which Spain lost their opening game before winning the next six en route to the final. In the Final itself, Fàbregas set up the extra-time winner for Iniesta to win Spain the World Cup for the first time in their history.[81]
- Scores and results list. Spain's goal tally first.
| # |
Date |
Venue |
Opponent |
Score |
Result |
Competition |
| 1. |
10 June 2008 |
Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck, Austria |
 Russia |
4–1 |
4–1 |
UEFA Euro 2008 |
| 2. |
14 June 2009 |
Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg, South Africa |
 New Zealand |
4–0 |
5–0 |
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 3. |
9 September 2009 |
Estadio Romano, Mérida, Spain |
 Estonia |
1–0 |
3–0 |
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4. |
10 October 2009 |
Hanrapetakan Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia |
 Armenia |
1–0 |
2–1 |
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5. |
18 November 2009 |
Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria |
 Austria |
1–1 |
5–1 |
Friendly |
| 6. |
8 June 2010 |
Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain |
 Poland |
4–0 |
6–0 |
Friendly |
| 7. |
2 September 2011 |
AFG Arena, St Gallen, Switzerland |
 Chile |
2–2 |
3–2 |
Friendly |
| 8. |
2 September 2011 |
AFG Arena, St Gallen, Switzerland |
Chile |
3–2 |
3–2 |
Friendly |
Originally brought to Arsenal as a youth to slowly develop via the League Cup, Fàbregas was unexpectedly deployed as Arsenal's starting central midfielder following injuries to fellow midfielders Patrick Vieira, Gilberto Silva and Edu during the 2004–05 season. While Vieira served as his role model and mentor,[82] he styled his game after his childhood hero and compatriot Josep Guardiola.[11] Because he was of a different mould from his Arsenal predecessors who played in the same position,[11][21] this led to criticisms of his lightweight frame and less aggressive style of play,[21][24] with former teammate Ashley Cole criticising the Spaniard as "an unproven featherweight" in his autobiography.[83]
However, it did not take long for Fàbregas to become one of the most coveted and celebrated young talents in the game with his success at Arsenal. Functioning mostly as a playmaker and renowned for his passing range, he was described as the general of Arsenal's first team, bringing vision, creativity, and an innate understanding of timing and space to Arsenal's intricate passing game, displaying maturity that belied his age.[2][3][7][9][38][40][84][85] He was the main creative force when he was at Arsenal, as exemplified by his 16 assists in all competitions in the 2006–07 season.[15] Between 2006–07 and 2010–11, Fàbregas created the most chances in the top-division leagues of England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.[86]
At Arsenal, Fàbregas also often assumed responsibility for set pieces, taking corners, free kicks and penalties. By his own admission, scoring was a weaker part of his game in his first few seasons at Arsenal; wasteful finishing also being symptomatic of the larger problem surrounding Arsenal in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons.[84] This changed initially in the 2007–08 season when he scored 11 goals in his first 16 games, and Arsenal manager Wenger claimed that the Spaniard's previous inability to score was down to a mental state, and even compared the Spaniard to Michel Platini, a French midfielder renowned for scoring.[87][88] There were also concerns raised over the large number of games Fàbregas was playing for club and country at such a young age,[67][89] but while he initially avoided long spells on the sidelines, he played significantly fewer games due to injury in his last three seasons with Arsenal.
Statistics accurate as of 26 May 2012[15]
| Club |
Season |
League |
Cup[90] |
Europe |
Total |
| Apps |
Goals |
Assists |
Apps |
Goals |
Assists |
Apps |
Goals |
Assists |
Apps |
Goals |
Assists |
| Arsenal |
2003–04 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
| 2004–05 |
33 |
2 |
4 |
8 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
46 |
3 |
5 |
| 2005–06 |
35 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
13 |
1 |
2 |
50 |
5 |
7 |
| 2006–07 |
38 |
2 |
13 |
6 |
0 |
2 |
10 |
2 |
1 |
54 |
4 |
16 |
| 2007–08 |
32 |
7 |
20 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
10 |
6 |
2 |
45 |
13 |
23 |
| 2008–09 |
22 |
3 |
11 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
5 |
33 |
3 |
16 |
| 2009–10 |
27 |
15 |
15 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
4 |
3 |
36 |
19 |
19 |
| 2010–11 |
25 |
3 |
14 |
6 |
3 |
1 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
36 |
9 |
17 |
| Total |
212 |
35 |
82 |
30 |
5 |
6 |
61 |
17 |
15 |
303 |
57 |
103 |
| Barcelona |
2011–12 |
28 |
9 |
10 |
9 |
3 |
6 |
11 |
3 |
4 |
48 |
15 |
20 |
| Total |
28 |
9 |
10 |
9 |
3 |
6 |
11 |
3 |
4 |
48 |
15 |
20 |
| Career total |
240 |
44 |
92 |
39 |
8 |
12 |
72 |
20 |
19 |
351 |
72 |
123 |
[91]
| Spain national team |
| Year |
Apps |
Goals |
| 2006 |
14 |
0 |
| 2007 |
8 |
0 |
| 2008 |
15 |
1 |
| 2009 |
10 |
4 |
| 2010 |
11 |
1 |
| 2011 |
4 |
2 |
| 2012 |
1 |
0 |
| Total |
63 |
8 |
Winner
Runner-up
Winner
Runner-up
Winner
Runner-up
Third place
Fàbregas starred in his own one-time only television programme, called "The Cesc Fàbregas Show: Nike Live", that aired on 19 May 2008. The programme was sponsored by Nike and was shown on Sky Sports. The show featured Fàbregas in several sketches with Arsenal teammates like Philippe Senderos and Nicklas Bendtner, as well as coach Arsène Wenger, Fàbregas' parents and Little Britain star Matt Lucas.[93]
Fàbregas is also an Honorary Patron of the campaign against racism in football and society, Show Racism the Red Card.
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- ^ a b c Cesc Fàbregas profile, Arsenal F.C., accessed 27 June 2009.
- ^ Francesc Fabregas: Spanish marvel blossoms out of the world of his mentors, The Independent, accessed 31 August 2010.
- ^ Cuando todo era un sueño, ELPAÍS.com, accessed 16 May 2006
- ^ Cesc Fàbregas faces the Barcelona Dream Team he left behind, The Guardian, 31 March 2010, accessed 18 September 2010.
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- ^ Kendall, Mark, "Real confident of securing Cesc's signature", Sky Sports, 4 July 2006, accessed 22 May 2007.
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- ^ Fàbregas signs new Arsenal deal, BBC Sport, 19 October 2006, accessed 22 May 2007.
- ^ Harris, Chris, "Fabregas – Our style of play makes me so happy", Arsenal F.C., 22 October 2006, accessed 23 May 2007.
- ^ Adams, Tom, "Cesc staying grounded", Sky Sports, 27 October 2006, accessed 24 May 2007.
- ^ Chelsea 2–1 Arsenal, BBC Sport, 21 February 2007, accessed 23 May 2007.
- ^ a b Arsenal are the ultimate 'second half' team, Arsenal F.C., accessed 23 May 2007.
- ^ Dinamo Zagreb 0–3 Arsenal, BBC Sport, 8 June 2006, accessed 7 September 2008.
- ^ Lipton, Martin, "HE'S FAB IN POLL", Daily Mirror, 2 December 2006, accessed 22 May 2007.
- ^ Your Team of 2006 revealed, UEFA, 19 January 2006, accessed 22 May 2007.
- ^ Benitez and Fabregas scoop awards, BBC Sport, 9 February 2007, accessed 22 May 2007.
- ^ Arsenal 3–1 Man City: Fabregas inspires revival, ESPNsoccernet, 17 April 2007, accessed 18 April 2007.
- ^ a b 'He showed he is the ultimate midfield player', Arsenal F.C., accessed 28 June 2007.
- ^ Wenger signs new three-year Gunners deal, ESPNsoccernet, 7 September 2007, accessed 16 September 2007.
- ^ a b How Fabregas plans to save Arsenal, The Guardian, 25 August 2007, accessed 17 September 2007.
- ^ Burying the ghost of Henry. ESPNsoccernet, 15 September 2007, accessed 17 September 2007.
- ^ Fabregas scoops O2 Player of the Month award, Arsenal F.C., 5 October 2007, accessed 6 October 2007.
- ^ GUNNERS DUO CELEBRATE AWARDS DOUBLE, Premier League, 19 October 2007, accessed 5 March 2008.
- ^ AC Milan 0 – Arsenal 2, BBC Sport, 5 March 2008, accessed 5 March 2008.
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- ^ Ronaldo heads shortlist for players' awards, ESPNsoccernet, 11 April 2008, accessed 12 April 2008.
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- ^ Fabregas replaces Gallas as Arsenal skipper, ESPNsoccernet, 24 November 2008, accessed 25 November 2008.
- ^ Captain Cesc's appointment is no surprise, The Sport Review, 26 November 2008, accessed 22 May 2009.
- ^ Injured Fabregas ruled out for 3–4 months, ESPNsoccernet, 23 December 2008, accessed 24 December 2008.
- ^ 2008/2009 English Premier League: Statistics, ESPNsoccernet, accessed 1 July 2009.
- ^ Arsenal 1 – 3 Manchester United, ESPNsoccernet, 29 April 2009, accessed 1 July 2009.
- ^ Gunners crush Toffees, ESPNsoccernet, 15 August 2009, accessed 18 August 2009.
- ^ a b Fabregas out for six weeks with leg fracture, ESPNsoccernet, 1 April 2010, accessed 2 April 2010.
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- ^ Includes FA Cup, League Cup and FA Community Shield.
- ^ http://www.national-football-teams.com/v2/player.php?id=13739
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- ^ NIKELIVE, NikeLiveFabregas.com, accessed 19 April 2008.
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Awards
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| Golden player |
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| Top goalscorer |
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| Persondata |
| Name |
Fàbregas i Soler, Francesc |
| Alternative names |
Cesc |
| Short description |
Footballer |
| Date of birth |
4 May 1987 |
| Place of birth |
Vilassar de Mar, Spain |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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Media related to 
