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Cesc Fàbregas

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Cesc Fàbregas
Personal information
Full name Francesc Fàbregas Soler
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)[1]
Position(s) Central Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Arsenal
Number 4
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:52, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas Soler (IPA: [ˈsɛsk ˈfaβɾəɣəs suˈɫeʁ̞]) (born 4 May 1987 in Arenys de Mar, Catalonia, Spain)[2][3] is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Arsenal in the English Premier League and for the Spanish national team. Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with FC Barcelona but was signed by Arsenal in September 2003. He did not feature much in his first season for The Gunners, but following injuries to key midfielders in the 2004–05 season, his playing time increased. Before long, he established himself as Arsenal's starting central midfielder and playmaker. He went on to break several of the club's records as he began to earn a reputation of a technically-gifted player, excellent passer of the ball and key component of the Arsenal lineup. 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 the senior squad and played in the 2006 World Cup. In 2006, Fàbregas committed his long-term future to Arsenal and signed an eight-year contract.

Career

Arsenal

Early years

Fàbregas started playing club football at FC Barcelona. During his youth career, he was played mostly as a volante (defensive midfielder), yet he was also a prolific scorer, sometimes scoring more than 30 goals in a season.[4] However, he did not play a first-team game at the Camp Nou.[5] Sensing that he would have limited opportunities at Barcelona,[6] he decided to join Arsenal, 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 team-mate Philippe Senderos, who helped him settle down.[7] As a 16-year-old, Fàbregas did not even think about breaking into the first team but looked up to his seniors Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva, while concentrating on training and learning the English language.[7] He made his début not long after, on October 23 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.[8] 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 Wolves.[9] Although Arsenal went on to win the league unbeaten in the 2003–04 season,[10] Fàbregas was not given a winner's medal because he did not play a single league game.[11]

Fàbregas in a game against Sheffield United in 2006

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 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.[12][13] With further injuries to Edu and Gilberto Silva, more playing time in all competitions was extended to the teenager.[2][6] In the 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.[14] 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.[15]

Making the starting eleven

After the departure of Vieira to Juventus, Fàbregas featured regularly in the Arsenal central midfield alongside Gilberto Silva. He made 49 appearances in all competitions during the 2005–06 season.[11] 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.[16] Nevertheless, Fàbregas asserted his own style of play and impressed pundits in the Champions League against Real Madrid and Juventus.[17][18][19] In the latter, he scored Arsenal's first goal and set up Thierry Henry for the second,[17] at the same time proving that he could compete against tough, hard-tackling midfielders like Vieira.[19] He then played in the final against his former club Barcelona, but Arsenal were defeated 2–1,[20] completing a trophyless 2005–06 campaign for Arsenal.

Fàbregas celebrates a goal with his Arsenal team-mates.

Fàbregas' increase in stature drew transfer speculation during the summer; Real Madrid expressed a desire to sign the Spaniard despite his long-term contract with Arsenal,[21] but Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger stated that Arsenal would not listen to any offers.[22] In September 2006, with six years left on his deal, Arsenal offered a new eight-year deal to the midfielder, which he signed on October 19 2006.[23] While the contract was unusually long, Fàbregas cited Arsenal's playing style and Wenger as reasons for his long-term commitment to the club.[24][25]

The 2006–07 season was another learning experience for the young Arsenal squad and Fàbregas. The club again failed to secure any major honours and was defeated by city rivals Chelsea in the League Cup final.[26] However, Fàbregas emerged as one of the key creative players for the team, playing in every single league game.[11][27] He kickstarted Arsenal's UEFA Champions League 2006-07 campaign when he scored a brace in a 3–0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in a qualifier match.[28] In the Premier League, he notched up 13 assists, which was the second-highest in the league.[11][27] 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.[29] He was also named in the 2006 UEFA Team of the Year,[30] and named FA Premier League Player of the Month for January 2007.[31] 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.[32] In June 2007, he was named Arsenal's Player of the Season, taking in 60% of the votes.[33]

The 2007–08 season began with much uncertainty for Arsenal. First, David Dein, the club's vice-chairman, left amidst allegations of internal strife. This was followed by the departure of the club's all-time top goalscorer and captain, Thierry Henry, who signed for Barcelona, as well as speculation over Wenger's future with the club.[34] Fàbregas knew immediately that he would become the most important player for Arsenal, but stated he was ready for the challenge.[35] He started the season well, chalking up goals and assists along the way,[11] and website soccernet attributed the early success of Arsenal to the young Spaniard.[36] His start to the season also earned him the O2 Player of the Month award from Arsenal fans for August, September and October,[37] as well as the Premier League Player of the Month for September.[38] With Arsenal leading the league table right up to March, Fàbregas was equally instrumental in the club's Champions League campaign; in the return leg against AC Milan, the midfielder scored late in the game to send Arsenal into the quarter-finals.[39] On 11 April 2008, Fàbregas was nominated for the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards for the second year running;[40] he was later crowned the winner of the latter, and named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.[41] Arsenal's failure to keep in the Premiership race however — coupled with late round exits in the cup competitions — meant that it was to be another trophyless season for him.

Spanish national team

Although he features regularly for the Spain national football team,[2][42] Fàbregas' international career had already begun at the 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.[5] Spain finished runners-up in the tournament to Brazil.[43]

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 Aragones named the teenager in the team for a friendly against the Ivory Coast.[44] In that game, Fàbregas became the youngest player capped for Spain in 70 years.[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][45]

On May 15, 2006, Fàbregas was selected for the Spanish 2006 World Cup squad. During the tournament, he came on as a second-half substitute in Spain's first two group matches, contributing an assist in their 3–1 victory against Tunisia.[46] He then started alongside Spain's reserve players (including then-Arsenal teammate José Antonio Reyes) in Spain's third group match against Saudi Arabia.[47] He earned a starting role in Spain's first knockout-stage match against France, in place of Marcos Senna, but Spain lost 3–1.[48] 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.[49] He was later nominated for the Gillette Young Player of the World Cup, but Germany's Lukas Podolski won the award.[50]

Style of play

Fàbregas runs up to take a corner kick.

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. Fàbregas functions mostly as a playmaker and his main asset is his passing range. As one of the most coveted young talents in the game today, he has been described as being a vital part of Arsenal's first team, bringing vision, creativity and selflessness to Arsenal's intricate passing game, and displaying maturity that belies his age.[2][3][5][6][33][35][51][52] In set pieces, he is one of the first-choice corner kick and free kick takers in the team.

Fàbregas has stated in interviews that while Vieira served as his role model and mentor,[53] he styles his game after his childhood hero and compatriot Josep Guardiola.[7] In that sense he is of a different mould from his Arsenal predecessors who play in the same position, preferring skill over strength.[7][16] Initially, this led to criticisms of his lightweight frame and less aggressive style of play,[16][19] with even former teammate Ashley Cole criticising the Spaniard as "an unproven featherweight" in his autobiography.[54]

However, Fàbregas' statistics have improved over the seasons, and he has adopted a more aggressive style of play. His importance to the team as the main creative force is also reflected in his contributing 16 assists in all competitions in the 2006–07 season.[11] 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.[51] This changed initially in the 2007–08 season when he scored 11 goals in his first 16 games, although 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.[55][56] Given his young age, concerns have also been raised over the large number of games Fàbregas has played for club and country in the last few seasons, as burnout may become an issue if he is not adequately rested,[44][57] but the midfielder has yet to sustain any major injuries in his five-year career with Arsenal.

Club career statistics

(correct as of 28 April 2008)[11]
Club Season League Cup[58] 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 0 5 1 0 46 3 4
2005–06 35 3 5 2 1 0 13 1 0 50 5 5
2006–07 38 2 13 6 0 2 10 2 1 54 4 16
2007–08 32 7 19 3 0 1 10 6 3 45 13 24
Career totals 138 14 42 22 2 3 38 10 4 198 26 49

Career honours

Other projects

Fàbregas starred in his own one-off television programme, called "The Cesc Fàbregas Show: Nike Live", on May 19 2008. The show featured Fàbregas in several sketches with some of his Arsenal team-mates, and also featured Little Britain star Matt Lucas. The programme, sponsored by Nike, will be shown on Sky Sports.[59]

Notes

  1. ^ Cesc Fabregas profile, msnsport.skysports.com, accessed 5 April 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Francesc Fabregas profile, soccernet.espn.go.com, accessed 25 July 2007.
  3. ^ a b c PLAYER PROFILE, arsenal.com, accessed 22 May 2007.
  4. ^ Interview with Arsenal.com (requires subscription), arsenal.com, accessed 1 June 2007.
  5. ^ a b c Cesc Fabregas, uefa.com, accessed 23 May 2007.
  6. ^ a b c The Young Gunner, thefa.com, 19 May 2005, accessed 24 May 2007.
  7. ^ a b c d Marcotti, Gabriele and Balague, Guillem, "From Barcelona to Barnet: how a rising star learnt his trade", timesonline.co.uk, 28 February 2007, accessed 23 May 2007.
  8. ^ Cesc Fabregas becomes Arsenal's youngest ever player, arsenal.com, 27 January 2006, accessed 22 May 2007.
  9. ^ Arsenal youngsters thump Wolves, news.bbc.co.uk, 2 December 2003, accessed 22 May 2007.
  10. ^ CLUB RECORDS, arsenal.com, accessed 23 May 2007.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Francesc Fabregas history, soccernet.espn.go.com, accessed 18 December 2007.
  12. ^ Hughes, Ian, "Fabregas the fabulous", news.bbc.co.uk, 27 August 2004, accessed 22 May 2007.
  13. ^ Arsenal 3-0 Blackburn, soccernet.espn.go.com, 25 August 2004, accessed 23 May 2007.
  14. ^ Haylett, Trevor, "Awesome Arsenal progress in style, uefa.com, 7 December 2004, accessed 22 May 2007.
  15. ^ Arsenal 0-0 Man Utd (aet), news.bbc.co.uk, 21 May 2005, accessed 23 May 2007.
  16. ^ a b c Hubbard, Norman, "Arsenal's midfield muddle", soccernet.espn.go.com, 22 August 2005, accessed 23 May 2007.
  17. ^ a b Arsenal 2-0 Juventus, news.bbc.co.uk, 28 March 2006, accessed 23 May 2007.
  18. ^ Sheringham, Sam, "Spain Teenager Fabregas Sparks World Cup Rally, Wows Maradona", bloomberg.com, 20 June 2006, accessed 23 May 2007.
  19. ^ a b c Harrold, Michael, "Fabregas plots Arsenal revival", uefa.com, 13 April 2007, accessed 23 May 2007.
  20. ^ Haslem, Andrew, "Barca comeback denies Arsenal", uefa.com, 17 May 2006, accessed 23 May 2007.
  21. ^ Kendall, Mark, "Real confident of securing Cesc's signature", msn.skysports.com, 4 July 2006, accessed 22 May 2007.
  22. ^ Wenger: Fàbregas is not for sale, he is Arsenal's future, arsenal.com, 12 July, 2006, accessed 22 May 2007.
  23. ^ Fàbregas signs new Arsenal deal, news.bbc.co.uk, 19 October 2006, accessed 22 May 2007.
  24. ^ Harris, Chris, "Fabregas - Our style of play makes me so happy", arsenal.com, 22 October 2006, accessed 23 May 2007.
  25. ^ Adams, Tom, "Cesc staying grounded", skysports.com, 27 October 2006, accessed 24 May 2007.
  26. ^ Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal, news.bbc.co.uk, 21 February 2007, accessed 23 May 2007.
  27. ^ a b Arsenal are the ultimate 'second half' team, arsenal.com, accessed 23 May 2007.
  28. ^ Clarke, Richard, MATCH REPORT, arsenal.com, 8 June 2006, accessed 22 May 2007.
  29. ^ Lipton, Martin, "HE'S FAB IN POLL", mirror.co.uk, 2 December 2006, accessed 22 May 2007.
  30. ^ Your Team of 2006 revealed, uefa.com, 19 January 2006, accessed 22 May 2007.
  31. ^ Benitez and Fabregas scoop awards, news.bbc.co.uk, 9 February 2007, accessed 22 May 2007.
  32. ^ Arsenal 3-1 Man City: Fabregas inspires revival, soccernet.espn.go.com, 17 April 2007, accessed 18 April 2007.
  33. ^ a b 'He showed he is the ultimate midfield player', arsenal.com, accessed 28 June 2007.
  34. ^ Wenger signs new three-year Gunners deal, soccernet.espn.go.com, 7 September 2007, accessed 16 September 2007.
  35. ^ a b How Fabregas plans to save Arsenal, football.guardian.co.uk, 25 August 2007, accessed 17 September 2007.
  36. ^ Burying the ghost of Henry. soccernet.espn.go.com, 15 September 2007, accessed 17 September 2007.
  37. ^ Fabregas scoops O2 Player of the Month award, arsenal.com, 5 October 2007, accessed 6 October 2007.
  38. ^ GUNNERS DUO CELEBRATE AWARDS DOUBLE, premierleague.com, 19 October 2007, accessed 5 March 2008.
  39. ^ AC Milan 0 - Arsenal 2, news.bbc.co.uk, 5 March 2008, accessed 5 March 2008.
  40. ^ Ronaldo heads shortlist for players' awards, soccernet.espn.go.com, 11 April 2008, accessed 12 April 2008.
  41. ^ Ronaldo named player of the year, news.bbc.co.uk, 27 April 2008, accessed 28 April 2008.
  42. ^ Naya, Ignacio, "Fabregas, Wenger's boy coming good", germany2006.com, accessed 25 May 2007.
  43. ^ Brazil roar past brave Spain, Argentina take third, fifa.com, 30 August 2003, accessed 23 May 2007.
  44. ^ a b Harris, Chris, "Fabregas - Why I feel part of the Spain 'family'", arsenal.com, 28 March 2007, accessed 24 May 2007.
  45. ^ Ivory Coast suffer defeat, news.bbc.co.uk, 2 March 2006, accessed 23 May 2007.
  46. ^ Spain 3-1 Tunisia, news.bbc.co.uk, 19 June 2006, accessed 23 May 2007.
  47. ^ Saudi Arabia 0-1 Spain, news.bbc.co.uk, 23 June 2006, accessed 23 May 2007.
  48. ^ Spain 1-3 France, news.bbc.co.uk, 27 June 2006, accessed 23 May 2007.
  49. ^ Spain 4-0 Ukraine, news.bbc.co.uk, 14 June 2006, accessed 22 May 2007.
  50. ^ Germany's Podolski named top young player, cbc.ca, 7 July 2006, accessed 22 May 2007.
  51. ^ a b Smith, Alan, "Fabregas puts his skates on in chase for perfection", telegraph.co.uk, 20 January 2007, accessed 23 May 2007.
  52. ^ McIlvanney, Hugh, "Fàbregas a leader in waiting", timesonline.co.uk, 26 March 2006, accessed 22 May 2007.
  53. ^ Townsend, Nick, "Spanish marvel blossoms", The Independent on Sunday, 2 October 2005, accessed 17 September 2007.
  54. ^ Macintosh, Iain, "Completely Fab", The New Paper, 29 September 2007.
  55. ^ Wenger: Fabregas has the vision of Platini, arsenal.com, 19 September 2007, accessed 4 January 2008.
  56. ^ Wenger: 'This team is blossoming and growing', arsenal.com, 15 September 2007, accessed 17 September 2007.
  57. ^ van Wijk, Jim, "Fabregas in need of rest after season of hard work", sport.independent.co.uk, 29 March 2007, accessed 24 May 2007.
  58. ^ Includes FA Cup, League Cup and FA Community Shield.
  59. ^ The Cesc Fàbregas Show: Nike Live nikelivefabregas.com, accessed April 19 2008.
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