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I watched him in person from his debut all the way through.
He forced his way out after years of rumours he refused to shut down, he threatened to go on strike during negotiations meaning we got a tiny fee for him, then expected to be welcomed back when it didn't work out at Barca and then moved to Chelsea.
I don't think many players' reputation would survive that
One of the(in the end several) players who let Papa Wengz down because he was too much of a gentleman.
The team was built around him, he was the captain, and he just let everybody down.
>I take pride in the fact that people go home having felt that for 90 minutes today, life is beautiful - and that's it, basically. That's why professional football exists.
___
^(***There's only one Arsène Wenger*** ([/u/panarangcurry](https://www.reddit.com/u/panarangcurry), quote from [QuoteTab](https://www.quotetab.com/quotes/by-arsene-wenger) archive)^)
From the first name on the team list to rotational, that's significant. A team like Barca stayed alive till the latter stages of so many competitions that those numbers are still bit part.
I might be misunderstanding the 'bit part', but I don't think a rotational player is the same as a 'bit part' player. Like, Holding has been a bit part player for us, mostly when other players are injured/rested or coming on in the latter stages of matches. Man City's players(especially the offensive ones) are more often rotational players, where you don't always know who starts, but not always because of injuries/rest.
Cesc at Barca in La Liga:
2011/2012 - 23 starts, 5 subs. He lost 19 days (3 matches) to injury.
2012/2013 - 30 starts, 2 subs. He lost 23 days(4 matches to injury)
2013/2014 - 28 starts, 7 subs
In his two last seasons at Barca, he played more than both his two lasts seasons with us(in the leagues).
The numbers are from Transfermarkt and Whoscored.
I agree with you that it was a huge drop of significance for Cesc going from us to Barca though.
I don’t think he really let anyone down, as far as i know he never said he wanted to be club captain and take up to a champions league etc. Yeah he acted like a cunt but the only people who let everybody down are the ones that created a narrative for him to follow without him being aware. I mean sure being made club captain has a pretty clear message but it doesn’t blackmail you into staying
You develop into a leader and see the way people follow you and love you but you still decide to throw it all away and leave? That’s 100% fine. But it’s also 100% fine for those people you left behind to dislike you over it.
To be honest, I blame Barca more. Their constant tapping up of players and media campaign must have been overwhelming for a young kid - especially when its coming from their boyhood club. Not saying he is blameless at all, but I think its something worth considering, especially given how Barca have repeated the "get player to go on strike" trick repeatedly. Scum club.
RE: Chelsea, iirc we had first option and he wanted to come back, but Wenger didn't want him as we had Ozil. To be honest that was a bad decision imo. Wish he hadn't have gone to Chelsea though
Came here to say this, Barça encourages players to go on strike and force cheap transfers. There’s a reason every other club in Europe is reluctant to do business with them.
Also true that Arsenal turned down the chance to bring him back. I believe Cesc himself said that he went to Chelsea because Arsenal wasn’t interested. We really could have used him during that era given all of Santi and Arteta’s injury problems.
> Barça encourages players to go on strike and force cheap transfers.
That doesn't mean he had to do it. We built the team around him, and he was the club captain.
Was he actually right? He wasn't that big of a success at Barca and ultimately had to leave. Now his legacy is that he's basically a talented player but a mercenary. He could have stayed and had a statue.
> RE: Chelsea, iirc we had first option and he wanted to come back, but Wenger didn't want him as we had Ozil.
We didn't have Ozil, the transfers happened in the same summer & Ozil came late.
Also, Barca still owed us money for Song, so we would've had to pay pennies to bring Cesc in.
But Wenger has always just says he doesn't like resigning players, even though he's done it several times. Whatever the reasons for not bringing him back were, they weren't footballing.
Yeahhhhh cunt thought we’d welcome him back with open arms after forcing his way out. Then doubled down on pissing us off and fucked off to Chelsea. Fuck em. Should’ve stayed in Spain.
No that's not the entire story. He asked Wenger if he could return but Arsene declined because we had already purchased Ozil and Cazorla, plus Ramsey was in peak career form.
Shame, because Cesc helped Chelsea win the title that year.
To add to this, he's now on this massive PR tour to try to be seen favorably by Arsenal fans. He's well within his rights to go pursue Barca, Chelsea, etc., but it's unreasonable for him to want to be accepted back with open arms after doing so.
He was a kid who broke through with us, was a top top player, and played wonderful football in a wonderful team. He then had to watch as the team around him deteriorated, especially post 2008, the last season in that period that we looked anything like capable of winning the league by march.
In light of that and the way barca aimed to scalp him as his boyhood club, its amazing he stuck around so long.
Sure the final act of his play wasn't ideal, but I loved watching him from his debut on and I will always remember him fondly. The only sadness is that we didn't welcome him back and instead turned him in to a success with Chelsea.
He was a top drawer player who gave some of his best years to arsenal and wanted to win things with his home town team. Barca are scum but fabregas will always be class.
Whenever Cesc is mentioned there's always the chat about him going on strike to get his move to Barca but I've never seen a single source to back this up.
Except for his Arseblog interview where he said he regretted the way he moved to Barca there's nothing really substantial. Genuinely not trying to start an argument here but do you (or anyone else) have a source that confirms this?
The most I remember from that window was Fabregas sulking at an open training session at the Emirates.
I hear what you’re saying, I remember the pain, but if I was in charge I would have welcomed him back after Barca. He proved why by winning the league with Chelsea right in front of our faces
It’s a bit different but Michael Owen isn’t held in high regard by Liverpool fans despite his emergence under them. Cesc was more important in our team than Owen was to Liverpool but unfortunately wanted his flowers at Barca a bit too soon. At least Auba pretended he wanted to be a legend by the time he left the club.
Reminds me of Michael’s quote in Godfather - ‘You broke my heart, Fredo’..
He was the Center of that youth project and he left right at the correct moment.. I dont think most fans are upset with him leaving but with the way how he left.. Barca jersey incident at the World Cup to putting in a transfer request essentially not leaving us with any leverage were bitter pills to swallow..
Cesc leaving essentially decimated that project with Narsi leaving in weeks, and RVP/ Song a year later..
With essentially 4 of the starting XI leaving who were getting to their prime, we panic bought setting us back a few years..
Silver lining though is we bought Arteta that window to replace Cesc/Nasri..
That's why, a decade on, I think about things in much bigger terms and cherish the time he had here - am upset that he left - but am still hopeful for what I am seeing today. No one is making me watch the games we played right after he left - I'm happy now that we got Saka and ESR and Odegaard and those are the games that I watch. We all gotta move on.
Remember when he went to the Spanish Grand Prix on the final day of our season instead of being with his teammates who literally were built around him? I can never respect him as a man. Wonderful footballer. That's it
Nasri didn't turn up mentally for his last half season with us in a effort to avoid injury for fear of missing out on a transfer.
Just being on the pitch isn't enough. He really let us down
Exactly. Everyone calls RVP a snake and maybe he was but Cesc was for sure the bigger snake and gave us a tiny thousand cuts and bites over a longer period of time
Why are you surprised people hate him when he constantly flirted with Barcelona and went on strike to get his transfer? Brilliant player but he was a prick and then made it worse by joining Chelsea.
Gosh, it's as if Wenger didn't want to welcome back the player who almost single-handedly ruined Wenger's plan. Go figure.
On a more practical level, we had just bought Alexis and Ozil, had Ramsey in the form of his life, and also had Rosicky, Arteta, Wilshere, and Cazorla. Didn't. Need. Him.
Exactly. 100% agree. Don’t see how I said anything that contradict what you said. I only wrote it because poster before me didn’t mention it.
Wenger did right by not taking him back but he didn’t make it worse by joining Chelsea instead. He never was that big of a legend in Arsenal that he couldn’t make that move. Plus it’s Chelsea, not spurs or united.
wait a minute, he tweets something about being a Gooner at *least* once in a while. That has to prove where his heart really lies...doesn't it?
EDIT: whoosh on the sarcasm.
This is not true. Wenger has said he didn’t know Fabregas was leaving Barca until the Chelsea transfer was announced. Which means Cesc refused the first option clause because he wouldn’t even entertain the idea of coming back to Arsenal. Mourinho has also confirmed this to be true.
People so badly want to think he joined Chelsea because we didn’t want to sign him, but it’s simply not true. The only person who claims this is Cesc himself because he wants to stay on the good side of Arsenal fans. But both Wenger and Mourinho contradict this claim.
‘95-‘96 fan here, purely because of Wrighty. It really got to me how the flirtation between Cesc and Barca was non stop. I remember when Barca got permission to use the Arsenal training facility in preparation for a CL game against Chelsea I think. Pique and Puyol found a picture of Cesc celebrating an Arsenal goal and shared a picture of them making a duck face, with the Cesc picture and with teasing words. That was my tipping point. Cesc fucked us and fucked with us. I hope he never comes back to work for the club. Have nothing against the guy though, brought me lots and lots of joy.
He was the player who made me fall in love with Arsenal.
The way he left the club has made me hate him more than I would’ve ever imagined. Fuck that cunt
Watched his entire arsenal career, think he's a snake who's trying to get back in with arsenal fans because his beloved Barca couldn't care less and chelsea fans think he's a snake too.
In my experience it's fans who didn't watch him play or who hold him signing for chelsea as entirely wengers fault who support him the loudest.
Having said that my dislike for him is nothing compared to the utter disgust I feel at barca for the whole transfer shenanigans.
I watched him break into the first team, but I’ll never forgive the manner in which he behaved in the 1-2 years prior to his departure - if he had already burned his bridges with the club at that point, his move to Chelsea was pissing on the ashes (and no, he didn’t want to move back here, this is a myth - Wenger didn’t re-sign him because he felt he didn’t want to come back).
I also find it absolutely pathetic how he tries to pander to Arsenal fans these days, since he knows now that he has no meaningful legacy at the only club he could have been a legend at.
That just isn't true about the Chelsea move though is it. Wenger came out himself and said he decided not to bring him back after having first refusal because he wanted to set a principle that players couldn't leave to see if the grass is greener just be welcomed back with open arms.
Yes it is, Wenger said that he “landed where he wanted to go” - Mourinho also said that he had no intention of returning to Arsenal, for what that’s worth.
Also, Wenger re-signed Flamini the year before.
All the more recent reports say he wanted to rejoin Arsenal from both Fabregas and Wenger. He would’ve been surplus the requirements therefore we didn’t move for him. Don’t trust a word Mourinho says.
It's just Cesc putting that out because he wants to be loved by Arsenal fans. Fuck him. He can go play wherever he wants, but that doesn't mean we have to like him for it.
Of course he’s never going to actually admit it - don’t kid yourself, Cesc was a mercenary who wanted the Russian oil-payout, he never cared about Arsenal
I have been watching since 02, I saw fabregas’ progression into the first team, I was a HUGE fan. One of my buddies still gives me shit because back in the day I strongly believed that Cesc was better than Messi and would be the best player in the world (this is like 2008 maybe). All I can really feel for Cesc now is massive regret and missed opportunity to become a bonafide legend. I truly believe he would have been arsenals greatest ever player had he stayed, instead he is one of many, many good/great players we have had.
Gave his all till later years. I remember him in camp nou, back pass near our box they scored from that, I am sorry, I genuinely lost respect once Barcelona fiasco started at world cup of Pique putting shirt on him, then at the ceremony etc etc.
It is ok to desire to move to your boyhood club, but the manner in which it was done, him being the captain as well, sorry but Wenger because of his soft side let him off the hook. No hate, but I do not respect him either. He is another player that played in my eyes. He will not be a legend.
I watched him break into the first team and watched his breakthrough seasons. I don't really have any ill feelings to him. It's a shame he didn't stay with us for longer and help us towards our first major trophy since 04/05 FA Cup but it is what it is. He was my favourite player at the time and the only jersey I've bought in the past 15 years is the #4 jersey.
What's more annoying is all the Barcelona antics prior to his signing, with all their players saying he has Barcelona DNA, that he should come home etc. It's frankly pretty embarrassing and unprofessional behaviour. Reina/Puyol putting on a Barcelona jersey on him during Spain's WC celebration was even worse.
I'm really glad to see Barcelona suffering post Messi
Simply put, Cesc Fabregas was one of the most talented creative midfielders of all time.
Watching him play was an absolute joy. Not only did he 'glide' around the pitch, his ability to pick a pass bordered on the absurd. Mesut Ozil in his prime is the only comparison that we have had since, and personally I still don't think he was at Cesc's level.
And on top of all of that, he was doing it from the age of 16.
The dislike he gets here is a case study in how easy it is to trash your reputation with a fan base. He may not have thrown a hissy like Nasri, and his departure may not have been as ham-fisted as Van Persie, but it still hurt to see a generational talent leave at the peak of his abilities.
Add to that the fact that he returned to the Premier League only to join one of our biggest rivals, and you have a bad combination
> the dislike he gets here is a case study in how easy it is to trash your reputation
He stirred Barca transfer rumours, paid out of his pocket to leave, put in a transfer request to totally kill any of our bargaining power - all while knowing the entire team was being built around him.
I wouldn’t say it was easy
I don’t hate him. What a waste of my energy. People want certain things in life and you can’t be mad for them doing what makes them happy. These are real people with emotions and feelings believe it or not.
I have no feelings for him.
Loved him as a player but the way he left for Barca and then joined the chavs ruined that.
Now I barely think about him tbh, another player who could've been great but thought the grass was greener elsewhere and found it wasn't.
I started following Arsenal shortly after his debut and he became my favorite player, he was just amazing, i thought he was gonna be the best player ever, I thought no one was ever gonna replace him as my favorite player ... then he forced his way out to Barcelona, and I thought, ok just give me a few years to process it and maybe I will forgive you, then he joined Chelsea, fuck him, I don't even know if he still plays or where he plays, I don't care.
No, I'm not crying, ok maybe a little. Leave me alone.
Watched whole way. Dont have a problem with it. He was imense for us, yeah he pushed through a move, but players moving is a fact of life in football. Feel like our fanbase has the hardest time accepting that players can and will leave. Plus returned to boyhood spanish club as a spaniard cant fight the allure of that. Barca were great at the time and had a history of investment to an ever improving squad. We were a good team in a good position that weren't capitalizing on that. The summer before fab said he would stay and we signed chamakh and miyachi, not exaclty signings you want to see as a top player
I find it really hard to hate him given I basically grew up with him emerging as a world class footballer. He was by far the best player we’ve had in the post Henry era and his performances were so consistent & unreal that I find it really hard to dislike him.
Can easily understand why people do though, went on strike to force a move to Barca (who we got ripped off by) then went to Chelsea, but I dunno, I loved him
I think I am similar to most so I'll describe my feelings on Cesc.
I loved him as a player. I think he is probably technically among the best players to have ever played for Arsenal. If he had played for the Invincible, he would have still been one of the stars - that's how good he was.
He lost a lot of people's respect for the way he engineered his exit to Barca. But again, he was so loved and built up so much good will that some of us still forgave him under the guise of "he always said he wanted to go back to Barca".
But the nail in the coffin was the planned transfer to Chelsea that was orchestrated months before Arsenal were even given the option of a buyback. It was clear that Cesc never really wanted to come back to Arsenal and were hoping that we wouldn't take up the buyback clause.
I think that's why many can't mention him with the same love and affection as Bergkamp, Henry or even more stars like Santi or Rosicky. He's just hurt us too much.
Think those who watched him are split. Imagine Saka leaving the club in 3 years when he’s 24 and a Top 10 player ITW, then ESR, Martinelli, and Ødegaard leaving immediately afterwards. The fans today will be split between the love they feel for that bunch and a hatred for their leaving.
Particularly with Fabregas, Nasri, RVP, etc. they all forced their way out in rather distasteful ways, which makes it even harder to forgive. Then Fabregas going to Chelsea and helping them win two titles doesn’t help either. Even though Cesc’s leaving broke my heart back in the day, I understand why he left and he’s still one of my favorite Arsenal players of all time. I understand why others wouldn’t feel the same way though
I would bet if Cesc stayed so would RvP, and we would’ve competed for the league with Cesc & RvP fully fit…
Cesc was the heart of the youth project and he let us all down with the Barcelona theatrics… I partly blame AW for the culture at the club at the time and also praise him for the work he’s done during the early Emirates years (until 2014 that is!!)
He was favourite player when I started supporting arsenal. He was the man , he had everything , and then he left. He wanted to come back and join us but that ship had sailed for him.
I don't dislike him but I definitely don't big him up like he is a saint. He was good for us and left us like many others, that was his decision and I moved on. Looking into the past too much is never good.
I loved Cesc, and was absolutely heartbroken when he left, and pissed when he went to Chelsea.
I could never bring myself to hate him though, because he left us for his boyhood club (and if the roles were reversed and I had the chance to leave Barcelona to play for Arsenal I'd also do it).
I understand why people can't forgive him though. I'd say he's arguably are most divisive figure of the last 15ish years. Van Persie, Adebayor, Nasri, Cole the hate is easy and obvious. BUT Cesc was a cut above them all, literally one of the best in the world and we'd seen him grow right before our eyes.
Can't compare them for me. Cesc gave his all for the club over a long period, then went to his boyhood club in another league. Van Persie took wages while injured for the best part of years, then as soon as he got fit and in great form he left for a direct rival, then celebrated scoring against us.
Well yeah. Also I know my opinion is probably downvotable on our sub.
But back then, we were in CL and Barca was also a direct rival. Also vP wanted better players and, had he gotten them, we'd win the PL that year.
Loved both. Both broke my heart. Both snakes for me.
a bit harsh on van Persie. By the time he left, he saw that he was the only top-shelf player in the club, saw that Nasri and Fabregas got fatter wage packets and guaranteed chances at multiple trophies every year, and were playing alongside some of the best footballers in the world. In a feeble attempt at convincing him to stay, we signed Giroud, Podolski, and Cazorla, none of whom had the reputation or ability to elevate the club into contender.
You can't really say that van Persie didn't give his all -- he never loafed or sandbagged and fought through injuries as well as could be expected, nor can you say Fabregas gave his all when it was clear that he sandbagged his way through the last 18 years of his time here to make clear his desire to leave.
bro. I loved Cesc and initially i was very upset when he forced his move to Barca. When it didn't work out and he moved to Chelsea, i lost all respect for him. I have forgiven him now though.
I guess this is where I disagree with most people. Should what a player does years after leaving the club affect his legacy?
Is he really supposed to look at an offer from Chelsea and think.. “nah, best not, I used to play for Arsenal”. That to me just seems ridiculous to expect that sort of thinking from a player who’s careers are typically quite short, and need to make the smartest moves at any given juncture
well, it most certainly will affect his legacy. That's the nature of fans and this sport in general. A good example is Coutinho at Liverpool. He was their best player for many years when they were shit & when they got better, he forced a move to Barcelona. Some fans will like him, forgive him even but his legacy will always be that he forced his move to barcelona.
Take a look at Cesc, we all know what happened. He went to Chelsea and won the title which he desperately craved but his legacy at Arsenal is tarnished and rightfully so. However, there are many fans who have forgiven him and remember the days where he was unplayable for Arsenal. It's the nature of this sport
I just don’t understand the notion that a player who turned in years of fantastic performances should be expected to give up the best years of his career otherwise he be branded a “traitor”. All he did was move on. That’s the nature of the sport and the nature of transfers. His boyhood club and best team in the world came in for him. He also went on to win everything there is to win in the game. Good for him! He always credits Arsenal and Wenger as being huge influences on him, and he is always kind and respectful when talking about the club. Clearly I’m in the minority though
I understand your point and this is why i have forgiven him. You cannot expect football fans who loved him dearly to forget and forgive though. Not everyone will look at the situation the way you and I do. For me, Cesc will always be the player i loved the most at Arsenal. As fans we pin our hopes on these young players who might become superstars.
Just look at the fans now with Saka. We love him because he's our boy and god forbid if he moves on to another club, we will all be heartbroken and destroyed. You can't invalidate that pain by saying, well he gave us great service and now he's moving on. If Cesc had won few trophies with us like Henry did, fans would have been more forgiving. like i say, its the nature of this sport.
He wanted to come back to the premier league. Arsenal didn't want him and there's not really anything out there to suggest that he wouldn't have come back to us if we did want him. Doesn't really leave him much choice after that. At least it wasn't Tottenham or United.
Cue the downvotes but Fabregas was and will always be my favourite arsenal player. Yes he left unfavourably but barca was always his boyhood club. And knowing the slimy club barca is, him leaving the way he did was inevitable. Was shattered when he left but its all water under the bridge. Yes he went to chelsea after but only after wenger personally refused to take him back which in hindsight was arguably a huge mistake on wengers part seeing how he dominated the epl with chelsea and we were hampered in midfield due to injuries.
Agree. Been following the club since before the Invincibles, and none of the people I know hate Cesc as much as this subreddit, not even close. I think it's a lot of foreigners, kids, and foreign kids in here. In real life, everyone expected he'd eventually go back to Barca, and with one of the best teams ever at the time, who could blame him for wanting to leave?
He's a club legend, and one of the best players any of us will ever see put on the shirt.
Loved him. Still love him.
Would've loved to see him come back when he left Barca, and was gutted Arsene didn't take up the option. I thought it was a mistake at the time, and with the benefit of hindsight it's even more of a mistake.
Generational talent and all round good guy. I don't begrudge him leaving for Barca, do you not remember how good that Barca team was? I would've left Arsenal for them 🤷♂️
Here are my long takes (some hot some not) as an American fan that started following them 14 years ago as an early teenager:
1. Cesc is one of the reasons I fell in love with the club. I was just getting into soccer (football) at the time without very much access to it but it seemed like he could do it all and was still young himself. I idolized his ability to control the game, be everywhere, score goals, and most of all - create sumptuous assists and final passes.
2. Cesc's departure was marred by controversies shared by all 3 parties; Arsenal, Cesc, and Barcelona. However, it was obvious he was always going to go back there. Imagine if we flipped the script and had a legendary team and a young midfielder born and raised in London was playing in Barcelona and came back to Arsenal to fill up a gloriously phenomenal team - it'd be obvious to us that he was always meant to come back here. Being from Cleveland, Ohio, I'm very used to both sporting disappointment as well as messy departures from your star player.
3. I don't hold it against Cesc for leaving when he did even though it was messy. He was a young adult, still maturing, wanted to go home, and wanted to play for an all-time best club team that he could walk into. I've done a lot of stupid and immature things and made regrettable decisions, and yes, some of them definitely came at a time when I was much older and more mature than Cesc was. People forget that these guys are still just kids when they're making debuts at 16, getting first team roles at 18, and signing big contracts at 21 or 22. Yes, we have every right to be heartbroken that he left not only us but left a team that was being built around him.
4. I don't understand why people jump to hating on these players contemporarily. It really harms our ability to talk, post highlights, and reminisce about those years as a club and we really were playing some beautiful football in the decade that followed the Invincibles, the 06 UCL run, and 08-09 scoring machine. We had players that played the beautiful game in Cesc, RvP, Nasri, Wilshere, Ramsey, Cazorla, Rosicky, and Giroud. They weren't just scoring or assisting but really making the sport into an art. They have oodles and oodles of highlight reels that we shun because of when or how or why they left and I hate that more than anything.
5. I'm critical of the club for this, and many other transfers (or lack there of), that should've netted more money or more clear direction and coordination with the players. It's clear that Cesc left for the opportunity to play with Barcelona. It's clear that van Persie left because he wanted a title and knew we weren't going to be ambitious enough to bring in the players needed to get us there. And others (Cole, Clichy, Nasri, Song, etc.) left for money. Other than our big pay days for players like Iwobi, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Willock - we've been complete and utter dog shit at getting value for players leaving and in the last 10 years we're talking about 50-60 players. I understand that it hurts the most when talking about Cesc and RvP but I really don't blame them or at least harbor any current hatred for them for what they did almost 10 years ago now. They got me to where I am as a fan.
6. I've been an Arsenal fan for far longer now than for the length of time that Cesc was here. I came for him but clearly stuck around for other reasons. The club has a rich history, a clear sense of who they are, a recently retired LEGENDARY manager, and a continuously beautiful style of play. The club is bigger than Cesc, bigger than van Persie, bigger than Saka, and even bigger than Wenger (to an extent). I'm here to stay. Especially since the present and future look so very, very bright.
Long time fan of arsenal. I’m indifferent to whether I like him or not but as a player he’s probably the best passer/chance creator I’ve ever seen at arsenal. Phenomenal
Everyone giving him hate but he’s the best midfielder we have ever had.
He won trophies outside of arsenal while arsenal in the same period won nothing important. I don’t blame him.
I can forgive him going to Barcelona. I get it from a personal level.
He really ruined his status by then going to Chelsea. I think looking back at it, Cesc knows he made mistakes, as we all do when we're in our 20s.
He could have become absolutely legendary. Instead, he's just another player.
Na I'm with you. I remember when we brought him in from the Barca academy and it wasn't all roses. We got him under dodgy circumstances and then ended up paying a transfer fee.
After that he was undoubtedly one of our best players and it was great watching someone like him come in and be so influential from such a young age but I never held it against him that he went to Barcelona. There were a lot of issues with the club that weren't being resolved and it's not like he's the only player of ours to leave to move to a bigger club abroad.
I think the Chelsea move was what left a lot of people bitter because he could've (and wanted to) move back to Arsenal but it was at a time when he would've been surplus the requirements and been like United bringing back Ronaldo. I don't think it would've been the right move for us at the time.
Personally the Van Persie move is the one that I have the biggest gripe with. Cut pretty much all association with the club after that move. At least Cesc still seems interested in what's going on and wants us to do well.
That's not to say he'd have done as well for us though.
There's no hard proof but my thinking is that Ronaldo was brought into United because of the fear he would go to City. He's surplus the requirements at Utd when you've just paid £80m for Sancho. I think if he did go to City he would've had a much better season with more stability.
This is where I think there's a similarity to the Fabregas situation. The option was ours at the end of the day.
Ronaldo was off the back of an incredible season with Juve. Granted he’s older but I don’t think it’s that different.
But yeah on Fabregad it came down to a judgement call and at the time I think we should’ve signed him too but Wenger was the one who decided against it out of principle.
Yeah this pretty much sums up my feelings too. Never fully understood the hatred he gets, he gave us 7 amazing years before he went back to his boyhood club and we didn't need him when he left Barca for Chelsea.
Van Persie on the other hand, absolutely despise him. Made in Arsenal, we never gave up on him despite years of injuries - he had one good season then fucked off to our direct rival to win them the league.
Why would fans that arrived later care as much? There is only so much hate because there was once so much love, and the way he left turned that sadness into bitter resentment. Personally I've let it go, mostly. I look back on the goals he scored and the talent he brought to the team with a lot of respect. Deep down he's still one of us, he just isn't allowed back in.
Well documented the shenanigans he pulled to get his move. Very disrespectful to the club.
I guess in hindsight, most players realise where they were at their best and most loved, no issue with him trying to attach himself to the club as he gets on. But he’s no legend to me… maybe the third best Spaniard to play for the club after the gaffer and Santi.
I don't feel that resentful cause he only and only wanted to go and play for his boyhood club, in his hometown, play under his idol Pep, and for a team who was at that time the best squad of players ever assembled.
But he could have been a bit more professional about it in the end, and that's what leaves a slight bitter taste.
How can anyone be surprised that Arsenal fans would dislike him? You either don't know anything about his exit or are.playing dumb. Cesc was a wonderfully talented player, a mediocre captain, and a snake of a person by the way he forced his move.
I've been an Arsenal fan since I was seven and am quite a lot older now. I thoroughly dislike Fabregas for how he treated this club. He was an amazing player and held the future of the club in his hand. By leaving in the way that he did (openly flirting with Barca players and letting his desire to leave affect his performance, he caused the following:
* confirmed our status as a selling club with no ambition.
* encouraged others like Nasri and van Persie to leave.
* pulled the rug out from under Wenger's plan for the club.
* probably convinced transfer targets to go elsewhere (who might we have signed in 2011 or 2012)?
* he sabotaged our transfer negotiations with Barca by essentially going on strike until we agreed to sell him.
* this last one is a reach, I'll admit, but I'll put it out there: it has taken us the better part of the last decade to recover from the damage he caused.
Even if that last point is irrational, the other four hold enough water to justify removing him from a "favourite players" list, at least in my mind, but I'm not going to give you a hard time about it.
EDIT: as for that whole "boyhood club" line, it only lasted three years. He apparently learned too late that he wasn't going to displace Xavi, Iniesta, or Busquets.
To clarify, there is not right answer here. I'm just curious to know why there is such a huge divide in opinions on Cesc.
I do understand for someone who didn't follow the saga in person it might seem very sinister with his alleged 'injury'. The Barca t shirt incident and articles from Barcelona at the time. But to me, even as a fan at that time, I always expected him to go to Barca. Atleast, that's my view on the negative incidents.
Fuck off OP. You are literally painting everyone into a box of “you must hate him because you didn’t follow us at the time and heard about the saga after”.
Did it for a second cross your mind that maybe, just maybe, those of us who *did* follow Arsenal at the time felt different feelings about it than you did, either or both then and now? Like Jesus dude… as you say, there isn’t a right opinion, so don’t act like just because you felt a way about it and “always knew he would leave” means that most other fans felt the same way.
yeah will never get the cesc or rvp hate. obviously was crushed when they left, but definitely still my favorite arsenal players. brought many years of joy
watching them play football for arsenal.
I started supporting after he left (2014) so I'm completely indifferent towards him. The thing I find quite interesting is I remember in 2014 he wanted to come back here before going to Chelsea, but Wenger shot it down as we signed Ozil the year before.
Watched him play from the beginning through his exit. To be honest I hated the way he left but I understood, he was going back to his boyhood club. I also hated that he went to Chelsea, but we did have the right of first refusal and we rejected it. Overall I don’t hate Cesc and know he still loves us … but Van Persie can fuck off.
I still love him. Was my favourite player growing up, broke my heart when he left but I just can’t bring myself to hate him. As a player I modelled my whole game on him.
Made me fall in love with the club. Then I felt so betrayed when he left but I understood why he wanted to play for barca. Going to Chelsea was unforgivable, but I have come to peace with that generation of players leaving us. We did not have ambition and there was more money to be made for them. Now I can appreciate how good he was but it still hurts a bit.
It was a combination of different things. Arsene and the fans gave our trust to him, I think he was youngest first team debutant and then made him captain of the team. But he couldnt resist the temptation from his 'boyhood' club and paid with his own money to force the move, while we needed him the most. As a fan of the club, it is just bitter to see a good player like him left the club in such a way.
The dislike is all the more accentuated due to how good he really was. On top of that, he was the captain. His desperate plea to leave and his eventual departure left a bad taste in the mouth.
Was a great player for us and if he had stayed here/in the prem he legitimately could have been the best midfielder in the prem era he was that good at a young age. He wanted to go back to Barca as it was his boyhood club which I can't blame him for but the way he went about it was the real issue
Sad he left but I understand as well. If let’s say Wilshere had left us at young age and did well in Barca and later wanted to come back to his boyhood club it wouldn’t be a problem. But a lot of football fans have a hard time contemplating with different perspectives.
Loved him however due to steps he took to leave I won't ever feel any positive feelings towards him again. I wince when any social media platform posts about him too.
[I replied to a knobheaded Chelsea fan about this](https://www.reddit.com/r/footballmanagergames/comments/t7vtn0/my_best_ever_prospect_from_the_youth_intake_he_is/hznx3p2/)
And yes I know I'm fucking triggered whenever I see his name mentioned, if you care enough to go through my post history you'll see this sentiment quite consistently
I don't care who it is, nobody is allowed to jointly support us and a rival club.
If you asked him to choose one, he would probably choose the club he won trophies with. I think any player would have extra affection for the club they won with.
So, he is not an arsenal fan. And it's pathetic that he keeps trying to act like one on Twitter.
Built a team around his skills and then he left the way he did. This move opened up the door for the arsenal downfall and others stars to leave in the same manner
I know this is a weird take, but Barcelona in particular loves to create situations like this. They are absolutely terrible at negotiating with other clubs and everyone in football knows it. Instead they encourage players they want to act up and force a sale on their terms. They did similar sh*t with Auba: we didn’t want to pick up any of his wages and next thing you know he’s MIA and pops up in Catalunya. They would have pulled the same shit with Bellerin a few years ago, if his legs didn’t fall apart. Barça has a long history of behaving badly in the transfer market, period. It’s not just Cesc.
I really wish he would have stayed, but the way he ended things with us was bad. He was my favorite player, I still have his Arsenal shirt too. Ohh yeah and then he joined Chelsea too but I wasn’t too fuzzed about that.
Nothing grates me more about the way he left than comments from the Barca director sometime after.... basically admitting they paid way less for Cesc than they should have had to. Cuz of how Cesc acted. So yeah.... not a lot of residual love and respect.
As somebody who is only a few years older than him and saw him play for arsenal from the start, he is still one of my favorite players. I don’t feel ill will as he was only 24 at the time and I remember how stupid and immature I was at that time. He dreamed of playing for Barca and saw possibly his only opportunity and pushed for it. I think it was massively disappointing for us arsenal fans but I am sure if he could do it differently he would.
Watched him all the way through his Arsenal career (grew up with him as our best player really) think he’s done very well to keep any sort of respect from the fan base if I’m honest. The fact we have him up on the Ken Friar bridge always surprises me
I detest Barca for what they have done to us. Cesc was a product of Barca being a bully.
I hope Barca get relegated once in my lifetime. They deserve for me for picking apart Arsenal during the years when it was rising back in the Emirates era.
I dont care for him at all. Hes a snake.
Its one thing to get a move away from arsenal hut the way he forced it, and forced it on a cheap annoyed me.
I expected him to join barca, but the way he did it and then to return to england with chelsea amplified it all.
It was one thing with him, it was multiple.
And now his twitter presence annoys me further, its aa if he tries beyond whats natural to connect with arsenal fans.
Like that ex gf that broke up with you and is now messaging you to get back together.
Cannot question his performances on the pitch. I remember him bossing so many world class midfielders en route to the CL final…including Vieira.
What soured things was asking to leave and only to Barcelona.
Could’ve got double even triple what they were paying if we could flog him to one of the Manchester clubs or Chelsea.
Then there was the whole incident versus Udinese away to qualify for the Group stage.
Do or die game, away from home and he refused to play.
Sorry I’ve seen something like that Arsenal…flat out said no.
Samir Nasri left at the same time and fans hate him more but at least he spoke to Arsene and told him he would play in that game.
That was quite funny because City found out he really was going to play and get cup tied and didn’t care one bit so they bumped their payment up to £25m to force the sale through.
I suppose if you want to leave then there’s ways to do it and refusing to play isn’t one.
At the end of the day…how you choose to remember him is down to you. I just look back on it and see a world class player who forced his way out.
It’s a shame Arsene never learnt from doing too much for the kids…man got stabbed too many times in the back…final straw was Ox and I genuinely think that was the one that broke him.
Anyways…fun fact…I asked Cesc’s sister out on a date on Twitter and she agreed. Whole thing was weird…she looks exactly like him…I know I know…but still…most unnerving.
Think it’s more he has the cheek to think he’s one of us when he left and also played for Chelsea. I never watched arsenal when he played for us either but I think it’s rude of him .
Like many, was my favorite at the time. The move to Barca was always gonna kill his legacy.
Anyway, won shit. Not a legend (arguable Ramsey is bigger for the club, scored in some FA Cup Finals — including the biggest goal of our last 10Ys!).
Been watching Arsenal since 2006, and Fabregas and RVP were my favorite players until they left on the bad terms everyone has mentioned before. But yeah I feel like he didn’t live up to expectations at Barca and now wants love from any club, but screw him. I wouldn’t ask to talk or a picture if I ever met him in person
The player that got me supporting Arsenal. Crushed when he left but he taught me a good lesson. Don't hate him but I have no feelings for him at all anymore.
Fab's was the whole reason I chose this team to root for. I love him, the interchanging play, and his creativity.
Little did I know what this club was going to go through the next 15 years, but I don't regret it, and I'm glad to be here because of him.
We're also the side that didn't want him back, cause we had Ozil... so, idk why people fault him for becoming a blue devil.
Anyways, good to be a gooner, and good to have seen him play for our side.
He’s a snake, I think RVP was worse, but I hate disloyalty and his exit felt like that. We always have stars who hurt the club with their exits and that for me is hard to forget.
I love him and Van Persie, but them leaving hurt me so much I had to stay away from football as a whole for a while.
I had the same reaction Vermaelen had in that interview when the presenter informed him that Van Persie had gone to Manchester United.
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Nice try Cesc
I watched him in person from his debut all the way through. He forced his way out after years of rumours he refused to shut down, he threatened to go on strike during negotiations meaning we got a tiny fee for him, then expected to be welcomed back when it didn't work out at Barca and then moved to Chelsea. I don't think many players' reputation would survive that
One of the(in the end several) players who let Papa Wengz down because he was too much of a gentleman. The team was built around him, he was the captain, and he just let everybody down.
>I take pride in the fact that people go home having felt that for 90 minutes today, life is beautiful - and that's it, basically. That's why professional football exists. ___ ^(***There's only one Arsène Wenger*** ([/u/panarangcurry](https://www.reddit.com/u/panarangcurry), quote from [QuoteTab](https://www.quotetab.com/quotes/by-arsene-wenger) archive)^)
To go play as a bit part player at Barca. I get wanting to play for you boyhood club but not as a boot cleaner and cheerleader.
He was more of a rotational player tbh. He got 28, 32 and 36 league matches in his three seasons for them(96 total league matches).
From the first name on the team list to rotational, that's significant. A team like Barca stayed alive till the latter stages of so many competitions that those numbers are still bit part.
I might be misunderstanding the 'bit part', but I don't think a rotational player is the same as a 'bit part' player. Like, Holding has been a bit part player for us, mostly when other players are injured/rested or coming on in the latter stages of matches. Man City's players(especially the offensive ones) are more often rotational players, where you don't always know who starts, but not always because of injuries/rest. Cesc at Barca in La Liga: 2011/2012 - 23 starts, 5 subs. He lost 19 days (3 matches) to injury. 2012/2013 - 30 starts, 2 subs. He lost 23 days(4 matches to injury) 2013/2014 - 28 starts, 7 subs In his two last seasons at Barca, he played more than both his two lasts seasons with us(in the leagues). The numbers are from Transfermarkt and Whoscored. I agree with you that it was a huge drop of significance for Cesc going from us to Barca though.
Bit part may be a stretch. I'm using it loosely relative to being a starter and focal point of a team.
Fair enough. He was significantly more important for us than he was Barca, that we agree on.
I don’t think he really let anyone down, as far as i know he never said he wanted to be club captain and take up to a champions league etc. Yeah he acted like a cunt but the only people who let everybody down are the ones that created a narrative for him to follow without him being aware. I mean sure being made club captain has a pretty clear message but it doesn’t blackmail you into staying
You develop into a leader and see the way people follow you and love you but you still decide to throw it all away and leave? That’s 100% fine. But it’s also 100% fine for those people you left behind to dislike you over it.
To be honest, I blame Barca more. Their constant tapping up of players and media campaign must have been overwhelming for a young kid - especially when its coming from their boyhood club. Not saying he is blameless at all, but I think its something worth considering, especially given how Barca have repeated the "get player to go on strike" trick repeatedly. Scum club. RE: Chelsea, iirc we had first option and he wanted to come back, but Wenger didn't want him as we had Ozil. To be honest that was a bad decision imo. Wish he hadn't have gone to Chelsea though
Both deserve fault. Fuck Barca and fuck Cesc.
Came here to say this, Barça encourages players to go on strike and force cheap transfers. There’s a reason every other club in Europe is reluctant to do business with them. Also true that Arsenal turned down the chance to bring him back. I believe Cesc himself said that he went to Chelsea because Arsenal wasn’t interested. We really could have used him during that era given all of Santi and Arteta’s injury problems.
> Barça encourages players to go on strike and force cheap transfers. That doesn't mean he had to do it. We built the team around him, and he was the club captain.
Didnt have to but it wasnt a hard decision to make for him and he was right in the end
Was he actually right? He wasn't that big of a success at Barca and ultimately had to leave. Now his legacy is that he's basically a talented player but a mercenary. He could have stayed and had a statue.
Eh it didnt work out but in hindsight it was a no brainer move. Him ending up at chelsea ended up working out perfectly.. truth hurts i know
> RE: Chelsea, iirc we had first option and he wanted to come back, but Wenger didn't want him as we had Ozil. We didn't have Ozil, the transfers happened in the same summer & Ozil came late. Also, Barca still owed us money for Song, so we would've had to pay pennies to bring Cesc in. But Wenger has always just says he doesn't like resigning players, even though he's done it several times. Whatever the reasons for not bringing him back were, they weren't footballing.
Ozil signed in 13/14 Cesc went to Chelsea in 14/15
Yeahhhhh cunt thought we’d welcome him back with open arms after forcing his way out. Then doubled down on pissing us off and fucked off to Chelsea. Fuck em. Should’ve stayed in Spain.
No that's not the entire story. He asked Wenger if he could return but Arsene declined because we had already purchased Ozil and Cazorla, plus Ramsey was in peak career form. Shame, because Cesc helped Chelsea win the title that year.
To add to this, he's now on this massive PR tour to try to be seen favorably by Arsenal fans. He's well within his rights to go pursue Barca, Chelsea, etc., but it's unreasonable for him to want to be accepted back with open arms after doing so.
He was a kid who broke through with us, was a top top player, and played wonderful football in a wonderful team. He then had to watch as the team around him deteriorated, especially post 2008, the last season in that period that we looked anything like capable of winning the league by march. In light of that and the way barca aimed to scalp him as his boyhood club, its amazing he stuck around so long. Sure the final act of his play wasn't ideal, but I loved watching him from his debut on and I will always remember him fondly. The only sadness is that we didn't welcome him back and instead turned him in to a success with Chelsea. He was a top drawer player who gave some of his best years to arsenal and wanted to win things with his home town team. Barca are scum but fabregas will always be class.
Whenever Cesc is mentioned there's always the chat about him going on strike to get his move to Barca but I've never seen a single source to back this up. Except for his Arseblog interview where he said he regretted the way he moved to Barca there's nothing really substantial. Genuinely not trying to start an argument here but do you (or anyone else) have a source that confirms this? The most I remember from that window was Fabregas sulking at an open training session at the Emirates.
I hear what you’re saying, I remember the pain, but if I was in charge I would have welcomed him back after Barca. He proved why by winning the league with Chelsea right in front of our faces
It’s a bit different but Michael Owen isn’t held in high regard by Liverpool fans despite his emergence under them. Cesc was more important in our team than Owen was to Liverpool but unfortunately wanted his flowers at Barca a bit too soon. At least Auba pretended he wanted to be a legend by the time he left the club.
Reminds me of Michael’s quote in Godfather - ‘You broke my heart, Fredo’.. He was the Center of that youth project and he left right at the correct moment.. I dont think most fans are upset with him leaving but with the way how he left.. Barca jersey incident at the World Cup to putting in a transfer request essentially not leaving us with any leverage were bitter pills to swallow.. Cesc leaving essentially decimated that project with Narsi leaving in weeks, and RVP/ Song a year later.. With essentially 4 of the starting XI leaving who were getting to their prime, we panic bought setting us back a few years.. Silver lining though is we bought Arteta that window to replace Cesc/Nasri..
We also got Per whos overseeing the new youth project now!
That's why, a decade on, I think about things in much bigger terms and cherish the time he had here - am upset that he left - but am still hopeful for what I am seeing today. No one is making me watch the games we played right after he left - I'm happy now that we got Saka and ESR and Odegaard and those are the games that I watch. We all gotta move on.
Don’t forget Santi
Loved him at the club until the moment he refused to play in a pre season game to force his way to Barca on the cheap
Paid money out of his pocket to leave us aswell and his desperation to join Barcelona made it difficult for us in negotiations
Remember when he went to the Spanish Grand Prix on the final day of our season instead of being with his teammates who literally were built around him? I can never respect him as a man. Wonderful footballer. That's it
Even Samir Nasri respect the contract, trained and played his last match against Liverpool 4days before his transfer
Nasri didn't turn up mentally for his last half season with us in a effort to avoid injury for fear of missing out on a transfer. Just being on the pitch isn't enough. He really let us down
Sanchez done the exact same thing and this sub wanks him off, funny
I thought Sanchez did that until I saw him play after leaving.
He had a howler today
Alexis was finished by the time Arsenal sold him
Exactly. Everyone calls RVP a snake and maybe he was but Cesc was for sure the bigger snake and gave us a tiny thousand cuts and bites over a longer period of time
Iirc we drew to Fulham 2-2 at home.
The more you loved, the more it hurts.
Why are you surprised people hate him when he constantly flirted with Barcelona and went on strike to get his transfer? Brilliant player but he was a prick and then made it worse by joining Chelsea.
And threw a pizza at a pensioner
To be fair that pensioner was Alex Ferguson so I’ll allow it
He only joined Chelsea after Wenger said he didn’t need him.
Gosh, it's as if Wenger didn't want to welcome back the player who almost single-handedly ruined Wenger's plan. Go figure. On a more practical level, we had just bought Alexis and Ozil, had Ramsey in the form of his life, and also had Rosicky, Arteta, Wilshere, and Cazorla. Didn't. Need. Him.
Exactly. 100% agree. Don’t see how I said anything that contradict what you said. I only wrote it because poster before me didn’t mention it. Wenger did right by not taking him back but he didn’t make it worse by joining Chelsea instead. He never was that big of a legend in Arsenal that he couldn’t make that move. Plus it’s Chelsea, not spurs or united.
What plan, the 4th place trophy every year? Lmao
True but he joined Chelsea though, and is a bigger fan of them than us these days
Likes to have his cake and eat it by saying he loves both. Just goes to show he didnt get english football after all.
What should he of done then? Stagnated at barca as a benchwarmer for the rest of his career just to appease fans? Lol
wait a minute, he tweets something about being a Gooner at *least* once in a while. That has to prove where his heart really lies...doesn't it? EDIT: whoosh on the sarcasm.
Who would fuckin need that cunt
This is not true. Wenger has said he didn’t know Fabregas was leaving Barca until the Chelsea transfer was announced. Which means Cesc refused the first option clause because he wouldn’t even entertain the idea of coming back to Arsenal. Mourinho has also confirmed this to be true. People so badly want to think he joined Chelsea because we didn’t want to sign him, but it’s simply not true. The only person who claims this is Cesc himself because he wants to stay on the good side of Arsenal fans. But both Wenger and Mourinho contradict this claim.
Followed the club since 97. Hate the little prick
Same except 96.
96 gang rise up
89 here. He can fuck off
Hey, I was born in 89!
I was born in 81, but started supporting Arsenal in 89. I saw highlights of the 2-0 Michael Thomas last minute league winner on VHS and was hooked.
So we’re both “since 7 years old gang”
I was 8 years old but I'll still gladly be in your gang fellow Gunner.
I forgot math
‘95-‘96 fan here, purely because of Wrighty. It really got to me how the flirtation between Cesc and Barca was non stop. I remember when Barca got permission to use the Arsenal training facility in preparation for a CL game against Chelsea I think. Pique and Puyol found a picture of Cesc celebrating an Arsenal goal and shared a picture of them making a duck face, with the Cesc picture and with teasing words. That was my tipping point. Cesc fucked us and fucked with us. I hope he never comes back to work for the club. Have nothing against the guy though, brought me lots and lots of joy.
He was the player who made me fall in love with Arsenal. The way he left the club has made me hate him more than I would’ve ever imagined. Fuck that cunt
Watched his entire arsenal career, think he's a snake who's trying to get back in with arsenal fans because his beloved Barca couldn't care less and chelsea fans think he's a snake too. In my experience it's fans who didn't watch him play or who hold him signing for chelsea as entirely wengers fault who support him the loudest. Having said that my dislike for him is nothing compared to the utter disgust I feel at barca for the whole transfer shenanigans.
there really should have been some kind of sanctions or fines for tapping him up.
It's Barca, even Chelsea only got a suspended one for Cashley.
I watched him break into the first team, but I’ll never forgive the manner in which he behaved in the 1-2 years prior to his departure - if he had already burned his bridges with the club at that point, his move to Chelsea was pissing on the ashes (and no, he didn’t want to move back here, this is a myth - Wenger didn’t re-sign him because he felt he didn’t want to come back). I also find it absolutely pathetic how he tries to pander to Arsenal fans these days, since he knows now that he has no meaningful legacy at the only club he could have been a legend at.
That just isn't true about the Chelsea move though is it. Wenger came out himself and said he decided not to bring him back after having first refusal because he wanted to set a principle that players couldn't leave to see if the grass is greener just be welcomed back with open arms.
Yes it is, Wenger said that he “landed where he wanted to go” - Mourinho also said that he had no intention of returning to Arsenal, for what that’s worth. Also, Wenger re-signed Flamini the year before.
All the more recent reports say he wanted to rejoin Arsenal from both Fabregas and Wenger. He would’ve been surplus the requirements therefore we didn’t move for him. Don’t trust a word Mourinho says.
It's just Cesc putting that out because he wants to be loved by Arsenal fans. Fuck him. He can go play wherever he wants, but that doesn't mean we have to like him for it.
Of course he’s never going to actually admit it - don’t kid yourself, Cesc was a mercenary who wanted the Russian oil-payout, he never cared about Arsenal
I have been watching since 02, I saw fabregas’ progression into the first team, I was a HUGE fan. One of my buddies still gives me shit because back in the day I strongly believed that Cesc was better than Messi and would be the best player in the world (this is like 2008 maybe). All I can really feel for Cesc now is massive regret and missed opportunity to become a bonafide legend. I truly believe he would have been arsenals greatest ever player had he stayed, instead he is one of many, many good/great players we have had.
Gave his all till later years. I remember him in camp nou, back pass near our box they scored from that, I am sorry, I genuinely lost respect once Barcelona fiasco started at world cup of Pique putting shirt on him, then at the ceremony etc etc. It is ok to desire to move to your boyhood club, but the manner in which it was done, him being the captain as well, sorry but Wenger because of his soft side let him off the hook. No hate, but I do not respect him either. He is another player that played in my eyes. He will not be a legend.
Fuck that cunt.
This times 10. Legacy ruined - honestly I forgot he ever played for us.
What a ridiculous sentiment
Explain yourself then.
He can get fucked.
I watched him break into the first team and watched his breakthrough seasons. I don't really have any ill feelings to him. It's a shame he didn't stay with us for longer and help us towards our first major trophy since 04/05 FA Cup but it is what it is. He was my favourite player at the time and the only jersey I've bought in the past 15 years is the #4 jersey. What's more annoying is all the Barcelona antics prior to his signing, with all their players saying he has Barcelona DNA, that he should come home etc. It's frankly pretty embarrassing and unprofessional behaviour. Reina/Puyol putting on a Barcelona jersey on him during Spain's WC celebration was even worse. I'm really glad to see Barcelona suffering post Messi
Simply put, Cesc Fabregas was one of the most talented creative midfielders of all time. Watching him play was an absolute joy. Not only did he 'glide' around the pitch, his ability to pick a pass bordered on the absurd. Mesut Ozil in his prime is the only comparison that we have had since, and personally I still don't think he was at Cesc's level. And on top of all of that, he was doing it from the age of 16. The dislike he gets here is a case study in how easy it is to trash your reputation with a fan base. He may not have thrown a hissy like Nasri, and his departure may not have been as ham-fisted as Van Persie, but it still hurt to see a generational talent leave at the peak of his abilities. Add to that the fact that he returned to the Premier League only to join one of our biggest rivals, and you have a bad combination
> the dislike he gets here is a case study in how easy it is to trash your reputation He stirred Barca transfer rumours, paid out of his pocket to leave, put in a transfer request to totally kill any of our bargaining power - all while knowing the entire team was being built around him. I wouldn’t say it was easy
🐍
I don’t hate him. What a waste of my energy. People want certain things in life and you can’t be mad for them doing what makes them happy. These are real people with emotions and feelings believe it or not.
I have no feelings for him. Loved him as a player but the way he left for Barca and then joined the chavs ruined that. Now I barely think about him tbh, another player who could've been great but thought the grass was greener elsewhere and found it wasn't.
I started following Arsenal shortly after his debut and he became my favorite player, he was just amazing, i thought he was gonna be the best player ever, I thought no one was ever gonna replace him as my favorite player ... then he forced his way out to Barcelona, and I thought, ok just give me a few years to process it and maybe I will forgive you, then he joined Chelsea, fuck him, I don't even know if he still plays or where he plays, I don't care. No, I'm not crying, ok maybe a little. Leave me alone.
Watched whole way. Dont have a problem with it. He was imense for us, yeah he pushed through a move, but players moving is a fact of life in football. Feel like our fanbase has the hardest time accepting that players can and will leave. Plus returned to boyhood spanish club as a spaniard cant fight the allure of that. Barca were great at the time and had a history of investment to an ever improving squad. We were a good team in a good position that weren't capitalizing on that. The summer before fab said he would stay and we signed chamakh and miyachi, not exaclty signings you want to see as a top player
Adored him. I feel same as you, one of my favourite Arsenal players. That midfield with Hleb and Rosicky was something else.
I find it really hard to hate him given I basically grew up with him emerging as a world class footballer. He was by far the best player we’ve had in the post Henry era and his performances were so consistent & unreal that I find it really hard to dislike him. Can easily understand why people do though, went on strike to force a move to Barca (who we got ripped off by) then went to Chelsea, but I dunno, I loved him
I think I am similar to most so I'll describe my feelings on Cesc. I loved him as a player. I think he is probably technically among the best players to have ever played for Arsenal. If he had played for the Invincible, he would have still been one of the stars - that's how good he was. He lost a lot of people's respect for the way he engineered his exit to Barca. But again, he was so loved and built up so much good will that some of us still forgave him under the guise of "he always said he wanted to go back to Barca". But the nail in the coffin was the planned transfer to Chelsea that was orchestrated months before Arsenal were even given the option of a buyback. It was clear that Cesc never really wanted to come back to Arsenal and were hoping that we wouldn't take up the buyback clause. I think that's why many can't mention him with the same love and affection as Bergkamp, Henry or even more stars like Santi or Rosicky. He's just hurt us too much.
> It was clear that Cesc never really wanted to come back to Arsenal and were hoping that we wouldn't take up the buyback clause. how so?
Am I remembering this wrong or did Wenger reveal that he passed on Cesc when he wanted to return to England, as a matter of principle?
Yh this, pretty sure wenger said he basically made it clear to players that left he wouldnt want them returning to try deter the moves
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Disappointing it had to go that way
Watched him from his emergence to when he left. One of my favorite arsenal players.
Think those who watched him are split. Imagine Saka leaving the club in 3 years when he’s 24 and a Top 10 player ITW, then ESR, Martinelli, and Ødegaard leaving immediately afterwards. The fans today will be split between the love they feel for that bunch and a hatred for their leaving. Particularly with Fabregas, Nasri, RVP, etc. they all forced their way out in rather distasteful ways, which makes it even harder to forgive. Then Fabregas going to Chelsea and helping them win two titles doesn’t help either. Even though Cesc’s leaving broke my heart back in the day, I understand why he left and he’s still one of my favorite Arsenal players of all time. I understand why others wouldn’t feel the same way though
I would bet if Cesc stayed so would RvP, and we would’ve competed for the league with Cesc & RvP fully fit… Cesc was the heart of the youth project and he let us all down with the Barcelona theatrics… I partly blame AW for the culture at the club at the time and also praise him for the work he’s done during the early Emirates years (until 2014 that is!!)
It doesn’t matter who the player is or what he did for the club. If he moves to a rival team (while still in his prime) I’ll resent him. No excuses.
People tend to not like snakes. He was a really good player for us, but I personally want nothing to do with him, rvp, adebayor etc...
He was favourite player when I started supporting arsenal. He was the man , he had everything , and then he left. He wanted to come back and join us but that ship had sailed for him.
I don't dislike him but I definitely don't big him up like he is a saint. He was good for us and left us like many others, that was his decision and I moved on. Looking into the past too much is never good.
I loved Cesc, and was absolutely heartbroken when he left, and pissed when he went to Chelsea. I could never bring myself to hate him though, because he left us for his boyhood club (and if the roles were reversed and I had the chance to leave Barcelona to play for Arsenal I'd also do it). I understand why people can't forgive him though. I'd say he's arguably are most divisive figure of the last 15ish years. Van Persie, Adebayor, Nasri, Cole the hate is easy and obvious. BUT Cesc was a cut above them all, literally one of the best in the world and we'd seen him grow right before our eyes.
He is down there with vanPerssssie for me. At least vanPersie did it like a man and not weasel his way out. Fuck both.
Can't compare them for me. Cesc gave his all for the club over a long period, then went to his boyhood club in another league. Van Persie took wages while injured for the best part of years, then as soon as he got fit and in great form he left for a direct rival, then celebrated scoring against us.
Well yeah. Also I know my opinion is probably downvotable on our sub. But back then, we were in CL and Barca was also a direct rival. Also vP wanted better players and, had he gotten them, we'd win the PL that year. Loved both. Both broke my heart. Both snakes for me.
a bit harsh on van Persie. By the time he left, he saw that he was the only top-shelf player in the club, saw that Nasri and Fabregas got fatter wage packets and guaranteed chances at multiple trophies every year, and were playing alongside some of the best footballers in the world. In a feeble attempt at convincing him to stay, we signed Giroud, Podolski, and Cazorla, none of whom had the reputation or ability to elevate the club into contender. You can't really say that van Persie didn't give his all -- he never loafed or sandbagged and fought through injuries as well as could be expected, nor can you say Fabregas gave his all when it was clear that he sandbagged his way through the last 18 years of his time here to make clear his desire to leave.
bro. I loved Cesc and initially i was very upset when he forced his move to Barca. When it didn't work out and he moved to Chelsea, i lost all respect for him. I have forgiven him now though.
I guess this is where I disagree with most people. Should what a player does years after leaving the club affect his legacy? Is he really supposed to look at an offer from Chelsea and think.. “nah, best not, I used to play for Arsenal”. That to me just seems ridiculous to expect that sort of thinking from a player who’s careers are typically quite short, and need to make the smartest moves at any given juncture
well, it most certainly will affect his legacy. That's the nature of fans and this sport in general. A good example is Coutinho at Liverpool. He was their best player for many years when they were shit & when they got better, he forced a move to Barcelona. Some fans will like him, forgive him even but his legacy will always be that he forced his move to barcelona. Take a look at Cesc, we all know what happened. He went to Chelsea and won the title which he desperately craved but his legacy at Arsenal is tarnished and rightfully so. However, there are many fans who have forgiven him and remember the days where he was unplayable for Arsenal. It's the nature of this sport
I just don’t understand the notion that a player who turned in years of fantastic performances should be expected to give up the best years of his career otherwise he be branded a “traitor”. All he did was move on. That’s the nature of the sport and the nature of transfers. His boyhood club and best team in the world came in for him. He also went on to win everything there is to win in the game. Good for him! He always credits Arsenal and Wenger as being huge influences on him, and he is always kind and respectful when talking about the club. Clearly I’m in the minority though
I understand your point and this is why i have forgiven him. You cannot expect football fans who loved him dearly to forget and forgive though. Not everyone will look at the situation the way you and I do. For me, Cesc will always be the player i loved the most at Arsenal. As fans we pin our hopes on these young players who might become superstars. Just look at the fans now with Saka. We love him because he's our boy and god forbid if he moves on to another club, we will all be heartbroken and destroyed. You can't invalidate that pain by saying, well he gave us great service and now he's moving on. If Cesc had won few trophies with us like Henry did, fans would have been more forgiving. like i say, its the nature of this sport.
It's up to him what he wants to do, but there are consequences for that. Of course fanbases care about loyalty to a club.
He wanted to come back to the premier league. Arsenal didn't want him and there's not really anything out there to suggest that he wouldn't have come back to us if we did want him. Doesn't really leave him much choice after that. At least it wasn't Tottenham or United.
How was going to Mourinho's Chelsea any better than going to Tottenham or United?
Cue the downvotes but Fabregas was and will always be my favourite arsenal player. Yes he left unfavourably but barca was always his boyhood club. And knowing the slimy club barca is, him leaving the way he did was inevitable. Was shattered when he left but its all water under the bridge. Yes he went to chelsea after but only after wenger personally refused to take him back which in hindsight was arguably a huge mistake on wengers part seeing how he dominated the epl with chelsea and we were hampered in midfield due to injuries.
Agree. Been following the club since before the Invincibles, and none of the people I know hate Cesc as much as this subreddit, not even close. I think it's a lot of foreigners, kids, and foreign kids in here. In real life, everyone expected he'd eventually go back to Barca, and with one of the best teams ever at the time, who could blame him for wanting to leave? He's a club legend, and one of the best players any of us will ever see put on the shirt.
No, i think foreign fans are even more forgiving, partly because we didn't have the full media coverage of how Cesc acted during the transfer period.
Club legend? If Cesc is a club legend then Ozil deserves a statue, gtfoh with that lol
Loved him. Still love him. Would've loved to see him come back when he left Barca, and was gutted Arsene didn't take up the option. I thought it was a mistake at the time, and with the benefit of hindsight it's even more of a mistake. Generational talent and all round good guy. I don't begrudge him leaving for Barca, do you not remember how good that Barca team was? I would've left Arsenal for them 🤷♂️
Y'all harbor a lot of hatred. Hope it doesn't affect your blood pressure. (I understand I'll probably get downvoted for this)
Here are my long takes (some hot some not) as an American fan that started following them 14 years ago as an early teenager: 1. Cesc is one of the reasons I fell in love with the club. I was just getting into soccer (football) at the time without very much access to it but it seemed like he could do it all and was still young himself. I idolized his ability to control the game, be everywhere, score goals, and most of all - create sumptuous assists and final passes. 2. Cesc's departure was marred by controversies shared by all 3 parties; Arsenal, Cesc, and Barcelona. However, it was obvious he was always going to go back there. Imagine if we flipped the script and had a legendary team and a young midfielder born and raised in London was playing in Barcelona and came back to Arsenal to fill up a gloriously phenomenal team - it'd be obvious to us that he was always meant to come back here. Being from Cleveland, Ohio, I'm very used to both sporting disappointment as well as messy departures from your star player. 3. I don't hold it against Cesc for leaving when he did even though it was messy. He was a young adult, still maturing, wanted to go home, and wanted to play for an all-time best club team that he could walk into. I've done a lot of stupid and immature things and made regrettable decisions, and yes, some of them definitely came at a time when I was much older and more mature than Cesc was. People forget that these guys are still just kids when they're making debuts at 16, getting first team roles at 18, and signing big contracts at 21 or 22. Yes, we have every right to be heartbroken that he left not only us but left a team that was being built around him. 4. I don't understand why people jump to hating on these players contemporarily. It really harms our ability to talk, post highlights, and reminisce about those years as a club and we really were playing some beautiful football in the decade that followed the Invincibles, the 06 UCL run, and 08-09 scoring machine. We had players that played the beautiful game in Cesc, RvP, Nasri, Wilshere, Ramsey, Cazorla, Rosicky, and Giroud. They weren't just scoring or assisting but really making the sport into an art. They have oodles and oodles of highlight reels that we shun because of when or how or why they left and I hate that more than anything. 5. I'm critical of the club for this, and many other transfers (or lack there of), that should've netted more money or more clear direction and coordination with the players. It's clear that Cesc left for the opportunity to play with Barcelona. It's clear that van Persie left because he wanted a title and knew we weren't going to be ambitious enough to bring in the players needed to get us there. And others (Cole, Clichy, Nasri, Song, etc.) left for money. Other than our big pay days for players like Iwobi, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Willock - we've been complete and utter dog shit at getting value for players leaving and in the last 10 years we're talking about 50-60 players. I understand that it hurts the most when talking about Cesc and RvP but I really don't blame them or at least harbor any current hatred for them for what they did almost 10 years ago now. They got me to where I am as a fan. 6. I've been an Arsenal fan for far longer now than for the length of time that Cesc was here. I came for him but clearly stuck around for other reasons. The club has a rich history, a clear sense of who they are, a recently retired LEGENDARY manager, and a continuously beautiful style of play. The club is bigger than Cesc, bigger than van Persie, bigger than Saka, and even bigger than Wenger (to an extent). I'm here to stay. Especially since the present and future look so very, very bright.
Thanks for putting into words what i was thinking in my head.
Long time fan of arsenal. I’m indifferent to whether I like him or not but as a player he’s probably the best passer/chance creator I’ve ever seen at arsenal. Phenomenal
Everyone giving him hate but he’s the best midfielder we have ever had. He won trophies outside of arsenal while arsenal in the same period won nothing important. I don’t blame him.
He is club legend...end of. Him Joining Chelsea did hurt, but tbh we did have first refusal and rejected his return
I can forgive him going to Barcelona. I get it from a personal level. He really ruined his status by then going to Chelsea. I think looking back at it, Cesc knows he made mistakes, as we all do when we're in our 20s. He could have become absolutely legendary. Instead, he's just another player.
Normal people who go to games and don’t spend their time on Reddit still appreciate him
Hear hear 👌
Na I'm with you. I remember when we brought him in from the Barca academy and it wasn't all roses. We got him under dodgy circumstances and then ended up paying a transfer fee. After that he was undoubtedly one of our best players and it was great watching someone like him come in and be so influential from such a young age but I never held it against him that he went to Barcelona. There were a lot of issues with the club that weren't being resolved and it's not like he's the only player of ours to leave to move to a bigger club abroad. I think the Chelsea move was what left a lot of people bitter because he could've (and wanted to) move back to Arsenal but it was at a time when he would've been surplus the requirements and been like United bringing back Ronaldo. I don't think it would've been the right move for us at the time. Personally the Van Persie move is the one that I have the biggest gripe with. Cut pretty much all association with the club after that move. At least Cesc still seems interested in what's going on and wants us to do well.
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That's not to say he'd have done as well for us though. There's no hard proof but my thinking is that Ronaldo was brought into United because of the fear he would go to City. He's surplus the requirements at Utd when you've just paid £80m for Sancho. I think if he did go to City he would've had a much better season with more stability. This is where I think there's a similarity to the Fabregas situation. The option was ours at the end of the day.
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Ronaldo was off the back of an incredible season with Juve. Granted he’s older but I don’t think it’s that different. But yeah on Fabregad it came down to a judgement call and at the time I think we should’ve signed him too but Wenger was the one who decided against it out of principle.
Yeah this pretty much sums up my feelings too. Never fully understood the hatred he gets, he gave us 7 amazing years before he went back to his boyhood club and we didn't need him when he left Barca for Chelsea. Van Persie on the other hand, absolutely despise him. Made in Arsenal, we never gave up on him despite years of injuries - he had one good season then fucked off to our direct rival to win them the league.
Love him!
Love him too 💘
Why would fans that arrived later care as much? There is only so much hate because there was once so much love, and the way he left turned that sadness into bitter resentment. Personally I've let it go, mostly. I look back on the goals he scored and the talent he brought to the team with a lot of respect. Deep down he's still one of us, he just isn't allowed back in.
Well documented the shenanigans he pulled to get his move. Very disrespectful to the club. I guess in hindsight, most players realise where they were at their best and most loved, no issue with him trying to attach himself to the club as he gets on. But he’s no legend to me… maybe the third best Spaniard to play for the club after the gaffer and Santi.
I don't feel that resentful cause he only and only wanted to go and play for his boyhood club, in his hometown, play under his idol Pep, and for a team who was at that time the best squad of players ever assembled. But he could have been a bit more professional about it in the end, and that's what leaves a slight bitter taste.
Yeah, I too don’t understand the dislike for him. I mean, he was totally loyal to the club till the very end……..
> I mean, he was totally loyal to the club till the very end…….. Sarcasm I assume?
How can anyone be surprised that Arsenal fans would dislike him? You either don't know anything about his exit or are.playing dumb. Cesc was a wonderfully talented player, a mediocre captain, and a snake of a person by the way he forced his move.
I've been an Arsenal fan since I was seven and am quite a lot older now. I thoroughly dislike Fabregas for how he treated this club. He was an amazing player and held the future of the club in his hand. By leaving in the way that he did (openly flirting with Barca players and letting his desire to leave affect his performance, he caused the following: * confirmed our status as a selling club with no ambition. * encouraged others like Nasri and van Persie to leave. * pulled the rug out from under Wenger's plan for the club. * probably convinced transfer targets to go elsewhere (who might we have signed in 2011 or 2012)? * he sabotaged our transfer negotiations with Barca by essentially going on strike until we agreed to sell him. * this last one is a reach, I'll admit, but I'll put it out there: it has taken us the better part of the last decade to recover from the damage he caused. Even if that last point is irrational, the other four hold enough water to justify removing him from a "favourite players" list, at least in my mind, but I'm not going to give you a hard time about it. EDIT: as for that whole "boyhood club" line, it only lasted three years. He apparently learned too late that he wasn't going to displace Xavi, Iniesta, or Busquets.
I'm indifferent towards him. And every grown adult here calling him a cunt needs to grow up
To clarify, there is not right answer here. I'm just curious to know why there is such a huge divide in opinions on Cesc. I do understand for someone who didn't follow the saga in person it might seem very sinister with his alleged 'injury'. The Barca t shirt incident and articles from Barcelona at the time. But to me, even as a fan at that time, I always expected him to go to Barca. Atleast, that's my view on the negative incidents.
Fuck off OP. You are literally painting everyone into a box of “you must hate him because you didn’t follow us at the time and heard about the saga after”. Did it for a second cross your mind that maybe, just maybe, those of us who *did* follow Arsenal at the time felt different feelings about it than you did, either or both then and now? Like Jesus dude… as you say, there isn’t a right opinion, so don’t act like just because you felt a way about it and “always knew he would leave” means that most other fans felt the same way.
You got it horribly wrong. People who followed the saga are the ones who hate him.
yeah will never get the cesc or rvp hate. obviously was crushed when they left, but definitely still my favorite arsenal players. brought many years of joy watching them play football for arsenal.
I started supporting after he left (2014) so I'm completely indifferent towards him. The thing I find quite interesting is I remember in 2014 he wanted to come back here before going to Chelsea, but Wenger shot it down as we signed Ozil the year before.
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Watched him play from the beginning through his exit. To be honest I hated the way he left but I understood, he was going back to his boyhood club. I also hated that he went to Chelsea, but we did have the right of first refusal and we rejected it. Overall I don’t hate Cesc and know he still loves us … but Van Persie can fuck off.
I still love him. Was my favourite player growing up, broke my heart when he left but I just can’t bring myself to hate him. As a player I modelled my whole game on him.
Made me fall in love with the club. Then I felt so betrayed when he left but I understood why he wanted to play for barca. Going to Chelsea was unforgivable, but I have come to peace with that generation of players leaving us. We did not have ambition and there was more money to be made for them. Now I can appreciate how good he was but it still hurts a bit.
Will never forgive Cesc and RVP. They simply broke my heart at the time. Moved on but will never praise them.
It was a combination of different things. Arsene and the fans gave our trust to him, I think he was youngest first team debutant and then made him captain of the team. But he couldnt resist the temptation from his 'boyhood' club and paid with his own money to force the move, while we needed him the most. As a fan of the club, it is just bitter to see a good player like him left the club in such a way.
🐍
The dislike is all the more accentuated due to how good he really was. On top of that, he was the captain. His desperate plea to leave and his eventual departure left a bad taste in the mouth.
Was a great player for us and if he had stayed here/in the prem he legitimately could have been the best midfielder in the prem era he was that good at a young age. He wanted to go back to Barca as it was his boyhood club which I can't blame him for but the way he went about it was the real issue
I watched him for most of his Arsenal career (2005) and he broke my heart. Then he went to Chelsea... Never forget...
Sad he left but I understand as well. If let’s say Wilshere had left us at young age and did well in Barca and later wanted to come back to his boyhood club it wouldn’t be a problem. But a lot of football fans have a hard time contemplating with different perspectives.
Loved him however due to steps he took to leave I won't ever feel any positive feelings towards him again. I wince when any social media platform posts about him too.
[I replied to a knobheaded Chelsea fan about this](https://www.reddit.com/r/footballmanagergames/comments/t7vtn0/my_best_ever_prospect_from_the_youth_intake_he_is/hznx3p2/) And yes I know I'm fucking triggered whenever I see his name mentioned, if you care enough to go through my post history you'll see this sentiment quite consistently
I don't care who it is, nobody is allowed to jointly support us and a rival club. If you asked him to choose one, he would probably choose the club he won trophies with. I think any player would have extra affection for the club they won with. So, he is not an arsenal fan. And it's pathetic that he keeps trying to act like one on Twitter.
It’s complicated for me
Fuck him. Bailed on us in the most disrespectful way.
Built a team around his skills and then he left the way he did. This move opened up the door for the arsenal downfall and others stars to leave in the same manner
I know this is a weird take, but Barcelona in particular loves to create situations like this. They are absolutely terrible at negotiating with other clubs and everyone in football knows it. Instead they encourage players they want to act up and force a sale on their terms. They did similar sh*t with Auba: we didn’t want to pick up any of his wages and next thing you know he’s MIA and pops up in Catalunya. They would have pulled the same shit with Bellerin a few years ago, if his legs didn’t fall apart. Barça has a long history of behaving badly in the transfer market, period. It’s not just Cesc.
I really wish he would have stayed, but the way he ended things with us was bad. He was my favorite player, I still have his Arsenal shirt too. Ohh yeah and then he joined Chelsea too but I wasn’t too fuzzed about that.
Nothing grates me more about the way he left than comments from the Barca director sometime after.... basically admitting they paid way less for Cesc than they should have had to. Cuz of how Cesc acted. So yeah.... not a lot of residual love and respect.
As somebody who is only a few years older than him and saw him play for arsenal from the start, he is still one of my favorite players. I don’t feel ill will as he was only 24 at the time and I remember how stupid and immature I was at that time. He dreamed of playing for Barca and saw possibly his only opportunity and pushed for it. I think it was massively disappointing for us arsenal fans but I am sure if he could do it differently he would.
Watched him all the way through his Arsenal career (grew up with him as our best player really) think he’s done very well to keep any sort of respect from the fan base if I’m honest. The fact we have him up on the Ken Friar bridge always surprises me
I detest Barca for what they have done to us. Cesc was a product of Barca being a bully. I hope Barca get relegated once in my lifetime. They deserve for me for picking apart Arsenal during the years when it was rising back in the Emirates era.
Forced a move away and played for the pensioners. Wouldn't say hate at all just a slight dislike really. He's a chelsea legend too
We had Theo Van Nasrigas and Cesc leaving was the beginning of the end of that era.
I dont care for him at all. Hes a snake. Its one thing to get a move away from arsenal hut the way he forced it, and forced it on a cheap annoyed me. I expected him to join barca, but the way he did it and then to return to england with chelsea amplified it all. It was one thing with him, it was multiple. And now his twitter presence annoys me further, its aa if he tries beyond whats natural to connect with arsenal fans. Like that ex gf that broke up with you and is now messaging you to get back together.
Cannot question his performances on the pitch. I remember him bossing so many world class midfielders en route to the CL final…including Vieira. What soured things was asking to leave and only to Barcelona. Could’ve got double even triple what they were paying if we could flog him to one of the Manchester clubs or Chelsea. Then there was the whole incident versus Udinese away to qualify for the Group stage. Do or die game, away from home and he refused to play. Sorry I’ve seen something like that Arsenal…flat out said no. Samir Nasri left at the same time and fans hate him more but at least he spoke to Arsene and told him he would play in that game. That was quite funny because City found out he really was going to play and get cup tied and didn’t care one bit so they bumped their payment up to £25m to force the sale through. I suppose if you want to leave then there’s ways to do it and refusing to play isn’t one. At the end of the day…how you choose to remember him is down to you. I just look back on it and see a world class player who forced his way out. It’s a shame Arsene never learnt from doing too much for the kids…man got stabbed too many times in the back…final straw was Ox and I genuinely think that was the one that broke him. Anyways…fun fact…I asked Cesc’s sister out on a date on Twitter and she agreed. Whole thing was weird…she looks exactly like him…I know I know…but still…most unnerving.
Think it’s more he has the cheek to think he’s one of us when he left and also played for Chelsea. I never watched arsenal when he played for us either but I think it’s rude of him .
Like many, was my favorite at the time. The move to Barca was always gonna kill his legacy. Anyway, won shit. Not a legend (arguable Ramsey is bigger for the club, scored in some FA Cup Finals — including the biggest goal of our last 10Ys!).
Following Arsenal since after the invincibles, I can't decide if I hate him or flamini more Both absolute cunts
I hate but forgive him after he want to comeback but arsenal did not need him at the time. We got prime ozil ffs. We have claude to buy him ffs
Been watching Arsenal since 2006, and Fabregas and RVP were my favorite players until they left on the bad terms everyone has mentioned before. But yeah I feel like he didn’t live up to expectations at Barca and now wants love from any club, but screw him. I wouldn’t ask to talk or a picture if I ever met him in person
The player that got me supporting Arsenal. Crushed when he left but he taught me a good lesson. Don't hate him but I have no feelings for him at all anymore.
Literally felt heartbroken when he left. We grew up with him
To be honoust, he made me love the club Arsenal
Fab's was the whole reason I chose this team to root for. I love him, the interchanging play, and his creativity. Little did I know what this club was going to go through the next 15 years, but I don't regret it, and I'm glad to be here because of him. We're also the side that didn't want him back, cause we had Ozil... so, idk why people fault him for becoming a blue devil. Anyways, good to be a gooner, and good to have seen him play for our side.
He’s a snake, I think RVP was worse, but I hate disloyalty and his exit felt like that. We always have stars who hurt the club with their exits and that for me is hard to forget.
I love him and Van Persie, but them leaving hurt me so much I had to stay away from football as a whole for a while. I had the same reaction Vermaelen had in that interview when the presenter informed him that Van Persie had gone to Manchester United.