Cesc Fabregas has revealed the motivation behind his switch from his native Barcelona all the way to North London to join Arsenal as a 16-year-old prospect.
The Spaniard joined Arsenal from Barcelona’s youth academy in 2003 and went on to make 303 appearances for the Gunners before re-joining his boyhood club in a deal worth around £40 million in 2011.
Speaking to the BBC’s Gary Lineker, Fabregas said:
It was [a big decision]. I had just turned 16,’ said the now 30-year-old
Then you see Arsene Wenger there waiting for you, cutting his holiday, just to come and see you.
For me it was a bit like ‘what have I done?!’
Then they [Arsenal] made an offer for me, Arsene was very clear he wanted me to train with the first team since day one.
I’m not going to lie it was tough but a fantastic opportunity.
Fabregas would later go on to join Arsenal’s London rivals Chelsea from Barcelona, and he currently plies his trade for the Blues — but there’s more to the story of his move to Arsenal from the Catalan giants:
At Barcelona it was so difficult.
You had the likes of Iniesta who still didn’t even reach the first team at the time and he was seen as the next big thing.
I had to make the decision [to leave for the Premier League] and I did it. It happened and here I am today.
Fabregas joined Chelsea from Barcelona in the summer of 2014 and has since won two Premier League titles and a League Cup with the Blues, after winning the FA Cup and Community Shield in his first spell in England with Arsenal all those years ago.
