Fabregas: Arsenal gave me the belief that I would make it as a footballer

In a recent interview with AS, Cesc Fabregas revealed that it was atArsenal that he first started to believe he would make it as a professional footballer. The Spaniard has since progressed to a level some might describe as ‘world class’, yet admitted that during his initial period at Barcelona, he lacked faith in himself and doubted his chances of even making a living from the sport.

“I saw people like Gerard [Piqué], Marc Valiente or Messi being moved up the ranks, [but] I wasn’t. There wasn’t the same confidence in me as there was in the others and you notice that. And, quite apart from that, I never thought I was going to be a footballer.”

Since switching to the Arsenal academy in 2003, Fabregas went on to appear in the Gunners’ strip 212 times in the Premier League, scoring 35 times, and the Spanish international cited Wenger as an uplifting element during his development as a footballer.

“I was very young and I couldn’t see myself making a living being a footballer. Though I was aware that it was an opportunity to make the most of, because Wenger told me I was going to train with the first team every day and that I was going to play in the reserves.”

“After a while at Arsenal I became more optimistic [about making it], but when I was at Barça I definitely felt that it was going to be very difficult to be a professional footballer. And I could use stronger words than ‘difficult’.”

The North London club was where Fabregas established himself in world football, becoming a fan favourite in the process and eventually earning the club captaincy during the 2008-2009 season, though the Barca star also admitted that this occasioned a less straightforward transition when he eventually made the move back to the Catalan giants in 2011.

“I’ve never shied away from the fact that, when I arrived at Barça, I was coming from a team in which I had been captain and everything went through me. It’s not that I was able to do as I liked, but I played where I thought I could do most damage. ”

The ex-Arsenal man has come to solidify his place in the Barca side, however, having only failed to feature in one La Liga game so far this season, and having provided seven goals and nine assists, the latter being a figure higher than any other player in the league.