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Spanish Inquisition: Barcelona, Real Madrid Or Arsenal - Where Does The Future Lie For Cesc Fabregas?
Goal.com's Cyrus C. Malek addresses a mounting storyline in the Spanish tabloids...
| Bet: | Returns: | Real Madrid £10.62 | Draw £105.00 | Levante £290.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Madrid £10.80 | Draw £100.00 | Levante £260.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Madrid £10.83 | Draw £100.00 | Levante £260.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Madrid £10.80 | Draw £100.00 | Levante £260.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Madrid £10.80 | Draw £87.00 | Levante £170.00 |
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Feb 16, 2010 3:45:00 PM
By Cyrus C. Malek
Only in Spain could January and February be filled with a fervent press war speculating next summer’s transfer window. This past weekend, Barcelona did finally drop points in their first La Liga defeat of the season and only that along with the first leg of Champions League knockout stage, which begins this week, were there enough substantive headlines to calm the tumultuous waters.
But while the Blaugrana maintained their five-point Liga lead over Real Madrid for weeks on end, Spain’s borderline-libellous tabloids were busy as bees trying to sell what is anticipated to be the next big summer spending spree in Spain. La Liga de las Estrellas (The League Of Stars), indeed.
Of course, all of these rumours seem to come in spite of the Spanish economy. Even in the face of talk that the Spanish government is in danger of national default and with household mortgage debts currently standing at 58% of GDP (thus, possibly significantly gouging ticket and merchandise revenues), clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona, who already spent astronomical amounts of money last summer in the midst of a financial crisis, are now reported to be preparing big money bids to bring more of Europe’s biggest stars to the Iberian Peninsula. And in the eye of the storm brewing between Catalunya and the Spanish capital is Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas.
Ever since Francesc Fabregas broke into the Arsenal first team, he has been adored in Spain. A Barcelona youth product, Cesc and his family feared that his chances of breaking into the Barca first team would be limited and when other teams came calling, the youngster listened. Arsene Wenger, long known for his ability to pick out young superstars from a mire of talent, instantly snatched up the midfielder and Cesc began a remarkable maturation period as a Gunner.
But it was not until the 2005-06 Champions League final that the young Fabregas became a true household name in Spain.
Since those doe-eyed days, Cesc has rapidly blossomed into one of the world’s best midfielders. While Thierry Henry’s departure from Arsenal marked the end of an era, Fabregas’ rise to prominence marked the beginning of another and so quickly did the gifted youngster improve that he was called up as a regular by Luis Aragones into Spain’s national squad. He played in the 2006 World Cup, albeit in a limited role with his most notable contributions coming through a visionary assist to Fernando Torres in the group stages and starting in the knockout round loss against France for the injured Marcos Senna.
In Euro 2008, Cesc turned out to be one of El Sabio’s best additions to Spain’s historic team as the midfielder confidently slotted home the winning penalty against Italy that sent Spain through to the semi-finals (and celebrated accordingly). In the last-four the young Gunner provided two assists to guide Spain to the final and at 21 years old at the time, he started in the final as La Furia Roja beat Germany to become the kings of the continent, their first major trophy in over 40 years.
But while Fabregas has won titles at international level, his career at Arsenal has been disappointingly marked by a lack of trophies. In fact, the young midfielder has not won a single title at Arsenal since the 2004 Community Shield and the 2005 FA Cup - while commendable accomplishments, hardly the sort of accolades the midfield maestro covets the most.
Being such an integral player in the Spanish national team and a timid youngster of lauded technique and talent, Fabregas is loved in Spain. His vision, his ability to measure angles on the pitch as if he pockets a protractor, and his perfectly weighted passes through the back line for team-mates to run on to have made the affectionately called Cesc a phenomenon in his home country and naturally, this sort of popularity has caught the attention of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Thus, the rumour mill has begun to churn as the press outlets favouring both Spanish giants attempt to exert their influence.
For many cules, it is only a matter of time before Cesc comes home. After all, once a Barca player, always a Barca player… unless of course, we are to speak of Luis Figo, Ronaldo - the Brazilian one - Javier Saviola, or a few others. For years now, the young Gunner has been billed as Xavi’s successor in the Barca midfield (in fact, Cesc’s passing is eerily reminiscent of Xavi’s visionary style of midfield orchestration) and Cesc himself has declared his affection for his home club; his family is from Vilassar de Mar, a small municipality just a short drive from Barcelona.
But there are some obstacles to Cesc’s potential move to Barcelona. Guardiola could certainly use Fabregas’ inventiveness, creativity, and ability to dictate the pace of a match, but Thierry Henry’s anticipated departure from the club next summer leaves Pep without a strong left-sided player. While Andres Iniesta could slot in higher up the pitch to fill that role, it remains unclear whether Guardiola would prefer to play Iniesta out of position than to spend a handsome sum on a quality winger instead.
In recent weeks, Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery has been linked to the Catalunyan capital as that star left-sided winger (by the player’s agent no less, who boasted that Ribery would be amazing to see playing with Messi) and this segues into the issue of cost. With Fabregas’ price tag billed to be in the €35 million range, Guardiola, and by that time, Barca’s new president, will likely only have one option to build around next season, effectively ruling out the club’s ability to bring a star winger [read: Ribery] along with Cesc, and a choice between the two will likely have to be made.
For Barca fans, having Cesc in the squad means much more than just signing a player. It confirms a political philosophy of keeping Catalunya’s homegrown heroes in Catalunya. Gerard Pique’s return to Barca from Manchester United set a precedent for a model that promotes the retention of the club’s youth players and in a region with a strong culture of autonomy, Cesc could serve as the ensign of Catalunyan football. Whether Barca need him or not is, in some ways, irrelevant. Cesc is Barca by blood and even if Guardiola gauges his need for a winger as a priority and bills Ribery as his summer transfer target, the Camp Nou already has its heart set on their lost boy.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, may have the money to bring both Cesc and Ribery to the Santiago Bernabeu. The Frenchman has long been linked to the Spanish capital thanks in part to Zinedine Zidane’s role in the club hierarchy, but in this case, money may not buy happiness. While Fabregas’ style of playmaking represents exactly what has been missing in the Blancos midfield since the days of Zidane and the Arsenal talisman would be loved at the Bernabeu, Cesc’s move to the Spanish capital would be very poorly received news in his home province.
The player has remained diplomatic in the press toward Madrid, but it seems unlikely, even with Florentino Perez’s notorious skill for negotiation and a much-improved paycheck, that Fabregas could ever call Chamartin home. The political firestorm would simply be too controversial for a player with a reputation for being so humble and soft-spoken.
But what is best for Cesc? Serving as Arsenal’s captain, Fabregas has the Gunners situated six points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea and five points behind second-place Manchester United. The Champions League remains the youngster’s prime objective, as he hungers for a return to the final. But no matter what sort of successes or failures Fabregas experiences at Ashburton Grove, there is a widespread sentiment that his future at Arsenal is tied to Arsene Wenger’s future in north London. Wenger made Fabregas what he is today, just as Sir Alex Ferguson made Cristiano Ronaldo the player he is today, and as Wenger goes, so goes Fabregas.
Ronaldo did eventually part with Ferguson to fulfil his dream of playing at Madrid and Fabregas will likely do the same by eventually returning to his country. In all honesty, it is difficult to think that if he were to leave Arsenal, that he would play at any club other than Barcelona. But at only 22 years old, Cesc has a long career ahead of him and the time may not yet be right for a move. In this vein, I would not be at all surprised if next year, while the press was in the trenches of a similar rumour battle, we will once again be debating the gifted midfielder’s future in a similar editorial.
Where would you like to see Fabregas ply his trade next season? Should he return to Barcelona? Break tradition and move to Madrid? Avoid controversy altogether and go to Italy? Or is Arsenal where his home is now? Goal.com wants to hear your thoughts...
But while the Blaugrana maintained their five-point Liga lead over Real Madrid for weeks on end, Spain’s borderline-libellous tabloids were busy as bees trying to sell what is anticipated to be the next big summer spending spree in Spain. La Liga de las Estrellas (The League Of Stars), indeed.
Of course, all of these rumours seem to come in spite of the Spanish economy. Even in the face of talk that the Spanish government is in danger of national default and with household mortgage debts currently standing at 58% of GDP (thus, possibly significantly gouging ticket and merchandise revenues), clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona, who already spent astronomical amounts of money last summer in the midst of a financial crisis, are now reported to be preparing big money bids to bring more of Europe’s biggest stars to the Iberian Peninsula. And in the eye of the storm brewing between Catalunya and the Spanish capital is Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas.
Ever since Francesc Fabregas broke into the Arsenal first team, he has been adored in Spain. A Barcelona youth product, Cesc and his family feared that his chances of breaking into the Barca first team would be limited and when other teams came calling, the youngster listened. Arsene Wenger, long known for his ability to pick out young superstars from a mire of talent, instantly snatched up the midfielder and Cesc began a remarkable maturation period as a Gunner.
But it was not until the 2005-06 Champions League final that the young Fabregas became a true household name in Spain.
Since those doe-eyed days, Cesc has rapidly blossomed into one of the world’s best midfielders. While Thierry Henry’s departure from Arsenal marked the end of an era, Fabregas’ rise to prominence marked the beginning of another and so quickly did the gifted youngster improve that he was called up as a regular by Luis Aragones into Spain’s national squad. He played in the 2006 World Cup, albeit in a limited role with his most notable contributions coming through a visionary assist to Fernando Torres in the group stages and starting in the knockout round loss against France for the injured Marcos Senna.
In Euro 2008, Cesc turned out to be one of El Sabio’s best additions to Spain’s historic team as the midfielder confidently slotted home the winning penalty against Italy that sent Spain through to the semi-finals (and celebrated accordingly). In the last-four the young Gunner provided two assists to guide Spain to the final and at 21 years old at the time, he started in the final as La Furia Roja beat Germany to become the kings of the continent, their first major trophy in over 40 years.
But while Fabregas has won titles at international level, his career at Arsenal has been disappointingly marked by a lack of trophies. In fact, the young midfielder has not won a single title at Arsenal since the 2004 Community Shield and the 2005 FA Cup - while commendable accomplishments, hardly the sort of accolades the midfield maestro covets the most.
Cesc has won plenty of praise, but not enough silverware
Being such an integral player in the Spanish national team and a timid youngster of lauded technique and talent, Fabregas is loved in Spain. His vision, his ability to measure angles on the pitch as if he pockets a protractor, and his perfectly weighted passes through the back line for team-mates to run on to have made the affectionately called Cesc a phenomenon in his home country and naturally, this sort of popularity has caught the attention of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Thus, the rumour mill has begun to churn as the press outlets favouring both Spanish giants attempt to exert their influence.
For many cules, it is only a matter of time before Cesc comes home. After all, once a Barca player, always a Barca player… unless of course, we are to speak of Luis Figo, Ronaldo - the Brazilian one - Javier Saviola, or a few others. For years now, the young Gunner has been billed as Xavi’s successor in the Barca midfield (in fact, Cesc’s passing is eerily reminiscent of Xavi’s visionary style of midfield orchestration) and Cesc himself has declared his affection for his home club; his family is from Vilassar de Mar, a small municipality just a short drive from Barcelona.
But there are some obstacles to Cesc’s potential move to Barcelona. Guardiola could certainly use Fabregas’ inventiveness, creativity, and ability to dictate the pace of a match, but Thierry Henry’s anticipated departure from the club next summer leaves Pep without a strong left-sided player. While Andres Iniesta could slot in higher up the pitch to fill that role, it remains unclear whether Guardiola would prefer to play Iniesta out of position than to spend a handsome sum on a quality winger instead.
In recent weeks, Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery has been linked to the Catalunyan capital as that star left-sided winger (by the player’s agent no less, who boasted that Ribery would be amazing to see playing with Messi) and this segues into the issue of cost. With Fabregas’ price tag billed to be in the €35 million range, Guardiola, and by that time, Barca’s new president, will likely only have one option to build around next season, effectively ruling out the club’s ability to bring a star winger [read: Ribery] along with Cesc, and a choice between the two will likely have to be made.
For Barca fans, having Cesc in the squad means much more than just signing a player. It confirms a political philosophy of keeping Catalunya’s homegrown heroes in Catalunya. Gerard Pique’s return to Barca from Manchester United set a precedent for a model that promotes the retention of the club’s youth players and in a region with a strong culture of autonomy, Cesc could serve as the ensign of Catalunyan football. Whether Barca need him or not is, in some ways, irrelevant. Cesc is Barca by blood and even if Guardiola gauges his need for a winger as a priority and bills Ribery as his summer transfer target, the Camp Nou already has its heart set on their lost boy.
Ribery may also have to choose between Blanco & Blaugrana
Real Madrid, on the other hand, may have the money to bring both Cesc and Ribery to the Santiago Bernabeu. The Frenchman has long been linked to the Spanish capital thanks in part to Zinedine Zidane’s role in the club hierarchy, but in this case, money may not buy happiness. While Fabregas’ style of playmaking represents exactly what has been missing in the Blancos midfield since the days of Zidane and the Arsenal talisman would be loved at the Bernabeu, Cesc’s move to the Spanish capital would be very poorly received news in his home province.
The player has remained diplomatic in the press toward Madrid, but it seems unlikely, even with Florentino Perez’s notorious skill for negotiation and a much-improved paycheck, that Fabregas could ever call Chamartin home. The political firestorm would simply be too controversial for a player with a reputation for being so humble and soft-spoken.
But what is best for Cesc? Serving as Arsenal’s captain, Fabregas has the Gunners situated six points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea and five points behind second-place Manchester United. The Champions League remains the youngster’s prime objective, as he hungers for a return to the final. But no matter what sort of successes or failures Fabregas experiences at Ashburton Grove, there is a widespread sentiment that his future at Arsenal is tied to Arsene Wenger’s future in north London. Wenger made Fabregas what he is today, just as Sir Alex Ferguson made Cristiano Ronaldo the player he is today, and as Wenger goes, so goes Fabregas.
Ronaldo did eventually part with Ferguson to fulfil his dream of playing at Madrid and Fabregas will likely do the same by eventually returning to his country. In all honesty, it is difficult to think that if he were to leave Arsenal, that he would play at any club other than Barcelona. But at only 22 years old, Cesc has a long career ahead of him and the time may not yet be right for a move. In this vein, I would not be at all surprised if next year, while the press was in the trenches of a similar rumour battle, we will once again be debating the gifted midfielder’s future in a similar editorial.
Where would you like to see Fabregas ply his trade next season? Should he return to Barcelona? Break tradition and move to Madrid? Avoid controversy altogether and go to Italy? Or is Arsenal where his home is now? Goal.com wants to hear your thoughts...
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