Cesc Fàbregas was one of La Masia’s brightest pearls of the 21st century, from the same generation as Gerard Piqué and Leo Messi. At the age of 16 he packed his bags for London to grow up in Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal, where he became captain, and in 2011 he fulfilled his dream of returning to Barça. Under the orders of Pep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova he became a luxury false nine, although it was difficult for him to find a permanent place in the team with the best midfield in the history of the club fully established.
After passing through Chelsea and Monaco, still at the highest European level, he ended up at Como in 2022, a club where he hung up his boots in 2023 and where he made his debut as a coach the following summer. The one from Arenys de Mar achieved promotion in his first season and is now competing with notable performance in Serie A.
Fàbregas, author of the legendary assist to Andrés Iniesta in the 2010 World Cup final that certified Spain’s title in the final minutes of extra time, reviewed his career in a recent interview with CBS Sports Golazo, on the program Kicking It. Cesc constructs his story with a mix of ambition, self-criticism and obsession with detail.
The moment that changed everything in that final in South Africa
Fàbregas remembers the final as psychological torture: there were only three changes and the physical trainer was pointing out who was warming up. “You lose a year of thinking life, well, point it at me,” he says, describing that eternal wait on the bench. When he finally enters – with Navas and Fernando Torres – his moment arrives: “Making the assist and winning, I heard a lot of pride and peace within my body and my soul.”
And when they ask him why he talks about “peace,” the answer is pure profession and conviction: “Peace, because I gave everything.” The summary of a trajectory marked by resilience: it came from a serious injury, doubts and pain, and the constant need to “continue believing.”
Like, the life of a technician and a “24-7” responsibility
The Cesc coach does not sell romanticism: he admits that the position “is 24/7” and that, unlike the player, “as a coach you feel responsible for everything that happens, especially what goes wrong.” However, there is no doubt about the engine that moves him: “It is passion… football is my life.”
At Como, he explains, they have opted for a young and talented dressing room because they need players who follow “the demands” and a “very energetic” style: pressing, running, recovering the ball and making a difference with it.
I need players who meet the demands of a very energetic system.
La Masía, Arsenal and the discipline of another era
Fàbregas also looks back to understand the present. De La Masia remembers the annual pressure: if you didn’t perform, “you either continue or you don’t continue.” That clashed with his academic life and with the expectations that fell on him. “I did things at school that I’m not proud of; the daily pressure made me change and behave differently,” he reveals.
And from Arsenal, the direct pedagogy of the veterans stands out: if you made a mistake, “they told you as it was.” That environment—with Henry, Vieira or Bergkamp—made him “tougher,” and today he believes that many young people need more reminders, more demands and less fear of failing.
His method: honesty, demand and convincing
If it had to be summed up, he says, it would be “demanding and honest.” And he finishes with an idea that works for football and for any locker room: “convincing is the most important thing.” If a player does not believe, “it becomes two… then three,” and the negativity spreads.
His promise, now, is to make Como a club with an identity and a future. And do it with the same hunger as the child who left when he was 16: without excuses, with a cool head… and with that strange “peace” that only comes when you know that you have given everything.
