Cesc Fabregas: The golden boy

Cesc Fabregas – The player for whom Arsenal fans will always have a soft corner

Its been almost 2 years since Cesc Fabregas left Arsenal but in the minds of the Arsenal faithful, he is still one of their own. The sixteen year old who arrived in North London with next to no reputation, left the Emirates as one of the hottest properties in world football.

Despite the FA Cup being the only medal Cesc could take with him back to Spain, he won something of as much importance as a trophy; the hearts of the Arsenal fans. He was a firm fan favourite and I think we Arsenal fans were more upset when he left than when Henry left the club. Cesc did not leave for money, nor did he leave for glory, he went back to his hometown, the club he supported as a teenager, and the Arsenal fans understood that.

The 2007-2008 season was the year that Cesc came of age, the goals started flowing (most of them sublime) , and he racked up 19 assists, the most in the league. But more than that, it was the passion and dedication he used to play with that won him many plaudits. There have been games where you could say he was poor, but you could never say he didn’t give it his all. He took over the armband form William Gallas in 2009, but captaincy didn’t change him. Cesc wasn’t a born leader, but it was his performances that would lift the team and act as inspiration for the likes of Theo Walcott and Ramsey.

For him Arsenal always came first , as was justified by his penalty against Barca with a broken leg, the brace he scored off the bench when Arsenal were trailing Villa and he had a hamstring injury. When he didn’t play well, he would take full responsibility; after Arsenal were torn apart by Messi at Camp Nou , Fabregas’s father said his son was inconsolable and was distraught with his own performance and felt he could have given more for the team.

The difference between Fabregas and players like Van Persie and Nasri is that Cesc didn’t show disrespect to Arsenal after leaving, he thanked the fans , the players and Wenger for their contribution to his career and didn’t make claims about Arsenal not being ambitious and I am 100% sure he won’t celebrate if he does ever score against Arsenal. He remained a Gooner even after leaving , and even made statements that he hoped Arsenal would win the title and spoke of his intention to come back some day.

At Barca , Fabregas blossomed and fit in well with the Barca passing philosophy and cemented his place in the Spain team. But there were times when Barca fans lost patience with him and many a times booed him , those were deeply saddening times for Arsenal fans, to see there captain and idol receive such abuse. Cesc wasn’t an instant fan favourite at Camp Nou, but then again all the Barca players live in the shadow of Leo Messi.

The summer transfer window in 2013 was the start of the Fabregas – United saga. I think Arsenal fans were more scared about him moving to Old Trafford than the Barca fans, but two failed bids in the region of 30 million confirmed his loyalty to Barca and to Arsenal!..and the Arsenal fans breathed a sigh of relief. Cesc has left behind a cauldron of memories. The solo effort against Spurs, that goal against Juventus in the champions League semi final, the freeckick against Aston Villa , I could go on and on.

Fabregas was a one of a kind and cannot be replaced at Arsenal. We Arsenal fans live in the constant hope that he will come back one day, to the actual club of his heart.