Cesc Fàbregas

Cesc Fàbregas
Fàbregas in 2023
Personal information
Full name Francesc Fàbregas Soler
Date of birth (1987-05-04) 4 May 1987
Place of birth Arenys de Mar, Spain
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
Como (head coach)
Youth career
1995–1997 Mataró
1997–2003 Barcelona
2003 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2011 Arsenal 212 (35)
2011–2014 Barcelona 96 (28)
2014–2019 Chelsea 138 (15)
2019–2022 Monaco 54 (3)
2022 Monaco B 1 (0)
2022–2023 Como 17 (0)
Total 518 (81)
International career
2002–2003 Spain U16 8 (0)
2003–2004 Spain U17 14 (7)
2005 Spain U20 5 (0)
2004–2005 Spain U21 12 (8)
2006–2016 Spain 110 (15)
Managerial career
2023 Como (interim)
2024– Como
Medal record
Representing  Spain
FIFA World Cup
Winner2010 South Africa
UEFA European Championship
Winner2008 Austria–Switzerland
Winner2012 Poland–Ukraine
FIFA U-17 World Cup
Runner-up2003 Finland
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
Runner-up2004 France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Francesc Fàbregas Soler (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈsɛsk ˈfaβɾəɣəs]; Spanish: [ˈfaβɾeɣas]; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who played as a central midfielder. He is currently the head coach of Serie A club Como.

Fàbregas came through La Masia, Barcelona's youth academy, leaving at 16 when he was signed by Premier League club Arsenal in September 2003. Following injuries to key midfielders in the early part of the 2004–05 season, he went on establish himself in the team. He broke several of the club's records and won the FA Cup in 2005. His performances earned him recognition, being named in the UEFA Team of the Year twice and the PFA Team of the Year twice.

After a protracted transfer saga, Fàbregas left London in August 2011 to return to Barcelona in a deal worth up to £35 million. During his three-year spell at the Camp Nou, Fàbregas played alongside Xavi and Andrés Iniesta and won a La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, and two Spanish Super Cups. He returned to London in June 2014 to Arsenal's cross-town rivals Chelsea for a fee of £30 million. In four-and-a-half years at the club, he won the Premier League twice, and the League Cup, FA Cup, and UEFA Europa League once each. He left for free to Ligue 1 club Monaco in January 2019 and retired in 2023, after one year in the Italian Serie B with Como.

Internationally, Fàbregas made his debut for the Spain national team in March 2006. He represented his country in the World Cup in 2006, 2010, and 2014, in the European Championship in 2008, 2012, and 2016, and in the Confederations Cup in 2009 and 2013. He was a key figure in Spain's European Championship victories in 2008 and 2012 and their 2010 World Cup triumph, in which he supplied the pass for Andrés Iniesta's winning goal in the final. In October 2015, Fàbregas earned his 100th cap for Spain.