Francesc Fabregas
Full name:Francesc Fàbregas Soler
Date of birth:May 4, 1987 (1987-05-04) (age 21)
Place of birth: Arenys de Mar, Barcelona, Spain
Height:1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Playing position:Central midfielder, Playmaker
Current club:Arsenal
Number:4
Early years
Fàbregas was born to Francesc Fàbregas Sr., who runs a property company, and Núria Soler, the owner of a pastry company, Fàbregas supported FC Barcelona since he was a child and went to his first match when he was nine months old with his grandfather.[4] It was at FC Barcelona where Fàbregas began his club football career. Initially, 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.[5] However, he did not play a first-team game at the Camp Nou.[6] Sensing that he would have limited opportunities at Barcelona,[7] 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.[8] 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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] Although Arsenal went on to win the league unbeaten in the 2003–04 season,[11] Fàbregas was not given a winner's medal because he did not play a single league game.
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.[13][14] With further injuries to Edu and Gilberto Silva, more playing time in all competitions was extended to the teenager.[2][7] 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.[15] 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.
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Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas insists he remains fully committed to staying at the Emirates Stadium.Fabregas was quoted in the Spanish media this week as hinting he might consider a future move to Real Madrid, particularly if Arsenal miss out on a trophy in the new season.The 21-year-old helped Spain win Euro 2008, playing an increasingly prominent role for the champions during the tournament.
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