Cesc Fabregas

Cesc Fabregas profile

• Name

  Cesc Fabregas

• Born

  May 04, 1987

• Vilessoc de Mar, Casal de Curacion, Spain

• Position

  Midfielder

• Squad Number

  4

• Previous Club(s)

  Barcelona

• Joined Arsenal

  September 11, 2003

• Arsenal Debut

  Rotherham United (h)

• Carling Cup

• October 28, 2003

• Drew 1-1 (Won pens)

• First Arsenal Goal

  Wolves (h)

• Carling Cup

• December 02, 2003

• Won 5-1

From promising youngster to the heartbeat of the Arsenal side - Cesc has come a long way since joining the club as a 16-year-old in September 2003.

Likeable and level-headed off the pitch, Cesc is the complete midfielder on it. He has always been tigerish in the tackle and blessed with wonderful technique and vision, but Cesc added a new dimension to his game last season - goals, and plenty of them. He netted seven times in his first nine games and, although that scoring rate fell away, Cesc still ended up with 13 in all competitions. There were some belters too, including long-range efforts at Tottenham and Milan.

To nobody's surprise, the fulcrum of Arsène Wenger's side walked away with Arsenal.com's Player of the Season award for the second successive year. He has plenty of admirers outside Emirates Stadium too, not least among his peers - they voted him PFA Young Player of the Year.

The Spaniard first came to prominence at the Under-17s World Cup when he walked off with awards for best player and top scorer. Soon after arriving from Barcelona he became Arsenal's youngest ever player and scorer. By the time he had left his teenage years behind, Cesc had surpassed 150 appearances for the Club.

Of course, the 21-year-old is now also a fixture in Spain's national squad and played a major role in his country's Euro 2008 triumph. Cesc came off the bench to devastating effect in the group stage and netted a penalty shoot-out winner against Italy in the Quarter-Finals - his first spot-kick as a professional.

MY YEAR

January

The medial knee ligament injury picked up against Liverpool in December put paid to Cesc’s hopes of featuring in January. During the month, the Spaniard spoke to the offical Arsenal Programme about his time out: “To be honest, apart from watching the Arsenal games, I haven’t been following football much lately," he said. "I’m not really thinking about football, watching the games, following the transfer market, nothing”. He should be back in action within eight weeks.

December

After more solid performances in Arsenal’s engine room throughout December, the Spaniard picked up a knee ligament injury on Sunday 21st against Liverpool at Emirates Stadium. The injury, which he sustained in a challenge with compatriot Xabi Alonso, will keep the Euro 2008 winner out for “three to four months”. His manager said: "Of course it is a blow to lose Fabregas in the middle of the season - for four months - but it is a good opportunity to show we can deal with it and have the needed strengths."

November

November was a major month in Cesc’s already-glittering Arsenal career. Arsène Wenger appointed the 21-year-old as the club’s new captain before the Gunners’ clash with FC Dynamo Kyiv on the 25th. The Spaniard said of the appointment: “It is a great honour for me to captain one of the biggest clubs in the world. It is a proud moment.”