Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas Soler (born May 4, 1987 in Arenys de Mar, Catalonia, Spain) (IPA: [sesk fabɾəgas]), is a Catalan Spanish footballer who currently plays as a central midfielder for Arsenal in the English Premier League and for the Spanish national team. Fàbregas started his career at FC Barcelona B but was signed by Arsenal in mid-2003 before he could sign a professional contract with FC Barcelona. Fàbregas has been touted as one of the best of Spain's next generation of footballers. He is able to play as an attack-minded midfielder, with the ability to play eye-of-the-needle passes, or in more of a withdrawn role in front of his back four, which has drawn comparisons with his compatriot, Liverpool's Xabi Alonso. Additionally, at Arsenal he has occasionally been used out-of-position as a right-side midfielder.

Club career

Before joining Arsenal, Fabregas had made his way into the Barcelona B team and then taken part in the FIFA U-17 World Championship in 2003, winning both the Adidas Golden Shoe (for top goalscorer) and Golden Ball (for best player). Spain finished second in the tournament to Brazil.

Fàbregas made his team debut on October 23, 2003 in a League Cup tie at home to Rotherham United, and in doing so became Arsenal's youngest ever first-team player, aged 16 years and 177 days. He then became the youngest goalscorer in Arsenal's history in a later round of the League Cup, scoring from very close range in a 5-1 victory against Wolves.

However, it was not until the start of the 2004-05 season that Fàbregas started making first team appearances in matches outside the League Cup. His first match was against Manchester United in the Community Shield; he then had four successive Premier League starts against Everton, Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers and Norwich City. Fabregas impressed many observers in his first four appearances, claiming a goal against Blackburn in a 3-0 victory. Soon after, he became the second youngest goalscorer in Champions League history after scoring the third goal against Rosenborg, in Arsenal's 5-1 victory.

After the departure of Arsenal captain, Patrick Vieira, Fàbregas became a first-team regular in the Arsenal midfield, making 48 appearances in the 2005-06 season. He initially struggled to impose himself in an Arsenal side considered by many to be too lightweight and was often criticised for his lack of tangible productivity.

Despite these criticisms, he was lauded for his performance in the UEFA Champions League. He was praised especially for his performance against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the round of 16 and earned further plaudits for his performance against Juventus in the quarter-finals; he scored Arsenal's first goal and set up Thierry Henry for the second. Fàbregas was highly praised by teammates and the press alike, who compared him to the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ronaldinho and even greats like Johnny Haynes and Gérson.^[1].

Fabregas helped Arsenal's 2006-07 Champions League campaign get started on August 8, 2006, by scoring two goals in a 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier.

Despite signing a contract that will keep him at Arsenal until at least 2012, Fàbregas's performances have attracted a considerable number of admirers in his homeland. In particular Real Madrid have expressed a desire to secure his services despite his long term contract at Arsenal. ^[2] However, on the 12th of July, Arsene Wenger stated that Arsenal would listen to no offers for Cesc.^[3] In September 2006, with 6 years left on his deal, Wenger offered a new eight-year deal to Fabregas, and sources stated that he would sign the new contract, at the end of which he would be 27 years old ^[4][5].

International career

On March 1, 2006 Fàbregas played his first game for the Spanish senior team, becoming the youngest player capped for Spain in 80 years. He received good reviews for his debut, contributing an assist for Spain's first goal in a 3-2 victory over the Côte d'Ivoire.

On May 15, 2006, Fàbregas was selected for the Spanish World Cup squad. In the 2006 World Cup, 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. He then started alongside Spain's reserve players (including then Arsenal teammate Jose Antonio Reyes) in Spain's third group match against Saudi Arabia. He earned a starting role in Spain's first knockout stage match against France in place of Marcos Senna, but Spain lost that match 3-1.

On June 14, 2006, Fàbregas became the youngest player in Spanish history to participate in a World Cup when he came on as a substitute for Luis Garcia after 77 minutes in a 4-0 victory against Ukraine. He was then 19 years and 41 days old.

Cesc was nominated for the Gillette Young Player of the World Cup 2006, although he did not win.

Trivia

• Even though Fàbregas is right-footed, he is left-handed.
• Fàbregas has been given shirt number 4 by Arsenal for the 2006-07 season. This is the same number as his idol Josep Guardiola wore when he played for FC Barcelona, and the same number previously worn for Arsenal by former captain Patrick Vieira.
• He remains a season ticket-holder at the Nou Camp and his family still live near the city.
• Fabregas drives an Audi A3.
• Fàbregas is fluent in Catalan, French, Spanish and English^[6].

Club career

(correct as of 18th September, 2006)

Notes