Cesc Fabregas explains his return to Barcelona in 2011: “Winning, playing well, Pep”

Cesc Fabregas recently featured in the Kammy and Ben’s Proper Football Podcast, where he explained the reasons behind his decision to rejoin Barcelona in 2011.

A product of the iconic La Masia academy, Cesc had made his breakthrough at Arsenal, featuring in over 300 competitive matches for the club. But he rejoined Barcelona in 2011, in a deal worth €34 million.

“I decided to come back seeing everyone winning in Barcelona ​​and playing so well. Pep also called me and sent me messages. I decided that this was the next step for me”, he said (h/t Mundo Deportivo), when asked about his return to Barça.

Fabregas’ spell at Barcelona, though, could have ended much more successfully. That is because the former Arsenal man was not as prominent in the club’s first-team plans as he would have thought, despite racking up 42 goals and 50 assists in 151 competitive matches.

“Looking back now, I probably should have waited a bit longer until Xavi’s performances faded. I should have gone there to take his place,” Fabregas said.

“But due to the frustration of so many years without winning at Arsenal and feeling that sometimes the club wasn’t making the right signings, I was getting overwhelmed and decided to leave,” he added.

He shared his dream to play for Barcelona as a child but also admitted the emotional connection he had with Arsenal fans. “I was a fan of Barça and it was my dream to play for the first team since I was a child, but it was very tough because Arsenal gave me so much and I felt very loved by the whole club, by the fans,” said Fabregas, who has recently commented on Barcelona’s Negreira scandal.

Cesc went on to reveal that he could have rejoined Arsenal shortly after his departure from Barcelona. But his former mentor Arsene Wenger pulled the plug on the move.

“When I signed for Barcelona, we decided in the contract that if I left, Arsenal would have a preferential option for a week,” he said. “Wenger told me that he had thought about it and that they already had many players in my position that to fit me in he would have to get rid of someone and this could create problems.”

Arsenal’s rejection eventually led to Fabregas joining Chelsea in 2014. “I spoke with Mourinho, I met him and he told me very nice things to hear. He wanted me to be the leader of that team. He convinced me and I went there”, he said.

Cesc Fabregas played in almost 200 competitive matches for Chelsea, before eventually leaving Stamford Bridge in 2019. He currently plies his trade for Serie B side Como.