Spanish · Arenys de Mar, Spain · Born 4 May 1987Arsenal's teenage prodigy who became a World Cup and European Championship winner with Spain.
Francesc Fàbregas Soler was born in Arenys de Mar, Spain in 1987. Barcelona's La Masia produced him before Arsenal signed him at 16. He made his Arsenal debut at 16 years and 177 days — still the youngest player in club history. His eight Arsenal years never produced a major trophy despite some of the most creative individual performances in Premier League history. Barcelona bought him back for £35 million in 2011 and he won La Liga and the Champions League. Chelsea signed him for £30 million in 2014 and he won two Premier League titles. He won the World Cup and two European Championships with Spain. His assist record — regularly producing 15+ assists per season in the Premier League — reflects a playmaking precision that was consistently among the finest in the league. He became player-manager of Como in Serie B as a playing coach in 2022 and guided them to promotion to Serie A in 2024. He is the only active player-manager in European football's major leagues.
Exceptional passing ability and creative midfield play
How They Played
Creative midfielder with exceptional vision and passing range
Lasting Impact
One of the greatest playmakers of his generation
Career Honours
- World Cup (2010)
- Euro 2x (2008,2012)
- Champions League (2015)
- Premier League (2015,2017)
- La Liga
| Club | Period | Fee | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 2003–2011 | — | 212 | 35 |
| Barcelona | 2011–2014 | £35m | 96 | 28 |
| Chelsea | 2014–2019 | £30m | 138 | 15 |
| Monaco | 2019–2022 | — | 54 | 3 |
| Monaco B | 2022–2022 | — | 1 | 0 |
| Como | 2022–2023 | — | 17 | 0 |
 Spain | — | — | 110 | 15 |
Spanish Athletes