Fabregas retrospectively regrets his move to Barcelona: I should have waited, I was overwhelmed by frustration at not being able to win trophies

Cesc Fabregas is undoubtedly one of the best midfielders of his generation. Yet many fans will surely say that his career could have been a little better. It was greatly influenced by his transfer from Arsenal to Barcelona. He has now returned to this in an interview.

He is 35 years old and is enjoying his time in the second Italian league, where he plays for Como. He does not play every game from the start, but his presence in the team is nevertheless noticeable. But he would definitely like a more prominent engagement.

Cesc Fabregas has been paid as a great world-class talent. And for the most part, he has undoubtedly lived up to it. But I’m sure some will say he had more than that. Yet he is a world champion, a two-time European champion, and has won trophies at Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea.

He went through Barcelona’s academy, but soon went to Arsenal, where he became a member of the starting line-up and captain at a young age. But after eight years, when he was still only 24, he decided to return to Catalonia. And this move is seen in retrospect as a mistake.

The year was 2011 and Barcelona’s midfield at the time was packed, dominated by the trio of Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and Sergio Busquets. Fabregas himself now admits that the timing of his return to Camp Nou was not the best.

“Looking back, I probably should have waited a little longer for this transfer. I should have been patient and waited mainly for Xavi’s departure to be imminent, to replace him directly,” he was heard saying in an interview with Kammy and Ben’s Proper Football Podcast.

And why did he transfer in the first place? “I’ve seen Barcelona keep winning and playing so well. Pep Guardiola kept calling me and sending me messages. I decided it had to be my next move. The frustration of so many years without winning trophies at Arsenal overcame me and I decided to leave,” Fabregas revealed.

Fabregas spent three years at Barcelona, often playing in a completely different position than he was used to. He started on the wings, in attack, in short, wherever Guardiola needed him. He played 151 competitive games for the Catalan club, scoring 42 goals and 50 assists.

Source: Kammy and Ben’s Proper Football Podcast, Transfermarkt