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Makes me sad. Come home Cesc and join Tuchel on the coaching staff. Teach our boys how to pass the ball without fear for once.
edit: [the "come home" bit has proved a tad controversial...](https://cdn3.whatculture.com/images/2015/05/I-regret-nothing.gif)
Yes, Pires the villa legend, what a guy. Actually probably Paul merson is probably the one guy who I can think of that was good for both of us, so we can bond over the awful takes he makes about football.
[Champions League winner Silvestre](https://c8.alamy.com/compfr/jdxc2x/mikael-silvestre-patrice-evra-manchester-united-v-chelsea-stade-loujniki-moscou-federation-de-russie-21-mai-2008-jdxc2x.jpg)? Of course
I’d take Willian over that Gallas deal a hundred times over lmao. The fact the man wore the number 10. How many times does a Chelsea fan have to make me feel sick today?
David Luiz, barring the odd mistake, was a great defender and reportedly a good influence in the dressing room. I'd have him a heart beat for these final few games this season given our injuries.
On the face of it he seems to give far more of a shit about Chelsea than his other clubs. It's kinda awkward with Arsenal and Barca burnt him hard. _Home_ isn't the right word I guess, but you get the point.
He still tries to ingratiate himself to Arsenal fans on twitter by saying stuff like “we” and “us” when talking about Arsenal but he just tries to play all sides to try to be liked.
Truth be told, I don’t hold anything against him. He left us for his boyhood club and it didn’t work out. Wenger refused to have him back to Arsenal when he was leaving Barca and wanted to rejoin us, so he went down the road to Chelsea. No hard feelings from me.
yeah for sure, I think he does his best to keep everyone happy. Maybe time has healed it but I imagine if he were to get in a role alongside Arteta or be a bit closer to the club a lot of the fans who were quite vocal in support of not bringing him back post Barca would perk up again, while currently they don't really have a reason to.
He said it’s awkward with Arsenal - Barca burnt him hard
Though iirc Arsenal turned down the option to resign him, which subsequently led to him joining Chelsea
Yeah I'm really struggling with reading lately good lord.
Wenger turned him down yeah, he wanted to start the culture of "if you chose to leave us then you can't come back" which was fair
Ehh he's always and still says arsenal was his fav, but he obviously has fond memories at Chelsea because of the PL win. Spent way more time and was way more important to us though
It's not odd. Cardio benefits from being consistent over many many years. It's why you see a lot of top marathoners in their 30s. They have been able to benefit from decades worth of running to build up their cardiovascular system.
They also had vastly different career trajectories. Modric only made it big in the top five leagues four years after Cesc did. Even if the Croatian league is no joke, playing in the Premier League as a teenager is something that will definitely take its toll on even the most talented of players. Take Rooney as anothy example. If you start playing +2000 minutes in the Premier League as a teenager in the midt 2000's, you're not going to be able to keep it up until age 34.
Tbf to Cesc he's been playing at a top level since he was 16.
If you've noticed a lot of players who start out early also get burnt out by their mid 30s
Owen was on the decline before 30 with those injuries. Said what you want about the man, but hearing him talk about how his injuries changed him really made sad. I know what it’s like to lose an attribute that you rely on. Obviously I’m no where near his level.
If we’re being real, the Croatian league (where modric spent many years) is not equivalent to the premier league. And that’s where fabregas started his youth. Just like Rooney, Owen..
You can’t compare Ronaldo to any “average” footballer, the man is obsessed with keeping his body in top shape, way beyond what anyone would consider reasonable.
“This year has been not only the worst year of my career but the worst year of my life”
Idk, maybe i’m reading too much into it, but I think he might be slightly unhappy
I went to a game in Kobe last year and saw Iniesta and Vermaelen play. The atmosphere was amazing and Kobe is a really fun city. I'm a little surprised more older, high-profile foreign players don't go to Japan to play
this might seem weird but ive always fantasized about starting my football career there in japan and becoming a clubs talisman.
you can tell im a captain tsubasa fan lol
Question - do you follow the league?
J League YouTube account is amazing!! They post so many league 1 and league 2 highlights and also livestream some matches.
I actually try to haha. I’ve picked Sagan Tosu as the team to follow (they have a rough couple games ahead against the top dogs lol). I have checked out their YouTube! I watch the summarized highlights when they come out.
Loved everywhere he played except maybe Inter
Also stayed with his childhood Köln for a large part of his career. Absolute legend to fans of the game. Def one the streets won’t forget anytime soon
Lmao Monaco supporters, what happened with Fabregas for him to react this way?
Monaco are currently 3rd in Ligue 1, still in a tight race for a place in the UEFA Champions League.
Not a Monaco supporter but I keep up with Cesc's playing career a bit, he's been fucked with injuries this season.
He's probably coming to the end of his career tbh.
He actually had some decent periods with Monaco though. He wanted to play with youngsters and help them develop in a role that didn't demand too much of him. But injuries, changing managers and a role that didn't play to his strengths really stood in his way.
I have mixed feelings towards him, but I hope he can move to a club where he can play for a season or two, refind his joy and end his career with a satisfied feeling.
Wouldn’t he do well in the Eredivisie? I don’t watch your league, but I remember Odegaard was loaned to ADO Haag because it was a slower league, more technical league that would give him time to physically develop? Maybe it could work in reverse for Fabregas, hiding his physical weaknesses now?
Always blows my mind that Fabregas racked up 200 appearances for Arsenal before his 21st birthday. He burned so bright at such a young age that, by the time he turned 28, his legs were gone.
I'm guessing you never watched him play for arsenal...
It's not an exaggeration to say he was twice the player at his peak whilst at arsenal, he played a more agressive box to box role aswell, changed games singlehandedly whilst often playing with questionable talent around him. Racked up the second highest assist record in premier League history before his 21st birthday at the time.
Yeah agreed. He used to be an aggressive attacking midfielder who'd contribute a lot of goals. The [goal against Spurs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3DaV_xn5xc) comes to mind. He wasn't the same player when he came back to the Premiership. Man Arsenal were fun to watch back then.
Seems to happen to German and Spanish players, they start sooo young. Iniesta, Villa, Fabregas, Özil, Schweinsteiger, Götze, and I guess we can also count Rooney here, by age 33 he was playing in the USA.
Maybe this is the secret of Italian players, they can play for so long (almost into their 40's) because they start later? Its like you almost have a certain amount of years to burn through as a professional, and it doesn't matter if its 16-34 or 20-38...
**This is a quotes thread. Remember that there's only one quotes post allowed per interview/press conference, so new quotes with the same origin will be removed. Feel free to comment other quotes/the whole interview as a reply to this comment so users can see them too!** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/soccer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Damn
Makes me sad. Come home Cesc and join Tuchel on the coaching staff. Teach our boys how to pass the ball without fear for once. edit: [the "come home" bit has proved a tad controversial...](https://cdn3.whatculture.com/images/2015/05/I-regret-nothing.gif)
This made me feel sick.
I'm not even an arsenal fan and I did a double take lmao.
I appreciate the solidarity. We can bond over Pires or something lol
Yes, Pires the villa legend, what a guy. Actually probably Paul merson is probably the one guy who I can think of that was good for both of us, so we can bond over the awful takes he makes about football.
That’s very true! Wonderful player, horrendous pundit.
David Platt worth a mention
Kevin Richardson?
But at least he wrote a book talking about his masturbating habits!
We can bond over Van Persie, if you like?
I’m more of an Alexis Sanchez man myself
What, no Mkhitaryan love?
He’s a class player, and it was a tragedy he couldn’t play in the Europa league final due to UEFA’s bullshit
Respect Silvestre?
[Champions League winner Silvestre](https://c8.alamy.com/compfr/jdxc2x/mikael-silvestre-patrice-evra-manchester-united-v-chelsea-stade-loujniki-moscou-federation-de-russie-21-mai-2008-jdxc2x.jpg)? Of course
We can bond over Willian if you like?
I’d take Willian over that Gallas deal a hundred times over lmao. The fact the man wore the number 10. How many times does a Chelsea fan have to make me feel sick today?
How do you feel about Ashley Cole?
I like the idea behind giving him the number 10, shame he Turned out to be such a cunt
Same
Listen to the little boy in you
He remembers Wiltord winning the league at Old Trafford
Nobody in France can be mad at Sylvain Wiltord, he is forgiven
No
We can bond over the sexy Frenchman if you want? I mean Chelsea have had some cult heroes picked up from Arsenal.
in general most arsenal players that go to chelsea become cult heroes and all chelsea players that go to arsenal… dont become cult heroes
Cech? That's about it tho
Luiz as well. Low key everyone including Chelsea fans don't rate him but I've yet to find an Arsenal fan who didn't like him
Geezer Dave. Love the guy.
Willian will always be a hero. First for not joining Spurs n then for joining Arsenal
Fuck yeah who can forget Agent Willian, the bloke doesn't even try to hide it 😂
You are correct. I like to just refer to those players as…agents.
Luiz was actually decent
never seen someone make such a big impact on either side of the ball for both teams as David Luiz
David Luiz, barring the odd mistake, was a great defender and reportedly a good influence in the dressing room. I'd have him a heart beat for these final few games this season given our injuries.
Stop trying to bring me pain.
I mean he did have that scorpion kick for you guys.
That’s more like it. Can we talk about Shevchenko or something?
I was thinking more along the lines of agent Willian?
same wtf lol. that's savage
The balls on this man
Why he's a Chelsea legend. Take down the banner
Barca fans like - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9r_pZL4boE
*clears throat*
you threw him out and gave him stockholm syndrome :(
Dude, even I was shocked by this take...
thank you for triggering all the arsenal fans here
quite delightful really
Come home? The fuck are you on about
Come home to Chelsea? Surely his home is Arsenal if anywhere
On the face of it he seems to give far more of a shit about Chelsea than his other clubs. It's kinda awkward with Arsenal and Barca burnt him hard. _Home_ isn't the right word I guess, but you get the point.
Judging from his Twitter, he just plays all sides so he comes out on top. Fair play, I guess.
Fabregas ain’t no jabroni
Jabroni? Cool word!
He's no bozo
This, he is smart.
He still tries to ingratiate himself to Arsenal fans on twitter by saying stuff like “we” and “us” when talking about Arsenal but he just tries to play all sides to try to be liked. Truth be told, I don’t hold anything against him. He left us for his boyhood club and it didn’t work out. Wenger refused to have him back to Arsenal when he was leaving Barca and wanted to rejoin us, so he went down the road to Chelsea. No hard feelings from me.
yeah for sure, I think he does his best to keep everyone happy. Maybe time has healed it but I imagine if he were to get in a role alongside Arteta or be a bit closer to the club a lot of the fans who were quite vocal in support of not bringing him back post Barca would perk up again, while currently they don't really have a reason to.
Arsenal fans are mixed on him but he likes all the clubs he used to play for
Lmao how did Arsenal burn him hard? Man decided to bail on a team that was being built around him
He said it’s awkward with Arsenal - Barca burnt him hard Though iirc Arsenal turned down the option to resign him, which subsequently led to him joining Chelsea
Yeah I'm really struggling with reading lately good lord. Wenger turned him down yeah, he wanted to start the culture of "if you chose to leave us then you can't come back" which was fair
Yeah fair enough - plus you weren’t exactly struggling for creative players in 2014 lol
I still don't believe we turned him down. Not sure why, but probably because it doesn't sit right with me.
I didn't say they did. Barca burnt their relationship with him when he left. I said the relationship with Arsenal and fans is awkward.
Man reading comprehension has not been my thing this week. My bad, I agree with your comment
Ehh he's always and still says arsenal was his fav, but he obviously has fond memories at Chelsea because of the PL win. Spent way more time and was way more important to us though
Arsenal? Chelsea? Did he just change DNA somehow?
Barca DNAtm. Will forever harbour an irrational hate of Xavi for that one lol
lets not forget Shakira's dildo either.
I’m not following here lol?
Pique haha
Lmao, I really didn’t pick up on that one. Cheers mate
Nothing irrational about it. Fuck Xavi.
He is a prick, isn’t he? North London remembers haha
Arsenal fanz don't treat him that way so i would have thought he'd sway more towards Chelsea considering he won more there.
He’s basically been playing at the top level since he was 16. Must take a serious toll as you rarely see these players in their late 30s
Makes you appreciate superhumans like Modric even more.
Modrics a living legend. Dudes engine and cardio is immense. He always shows up big in the big games too
He seems fitter now, which is odd...
Fitter, happier. More productive.
Comfortable, not drinking too much
It's not odd. Cardio benefits from being consistent over many many years. It's why you see a lot of top marathoners in their 30s. They have been able to benefit from decades worth of running to build up their cardiovascular system.
Less explosive, more long cardio type stamina
They also had vastly different career trajectories. Modric only made it big in the top five leagues four years after Cesc did. Even if the Croatian league is no joke, playing in the Premier League as a teenager is something that will definitely take its toll on even the most talented of players. Take Rooney as anothy example. If you start playing +2000 minutes in the Premier League as a teenager in the midt 2000's, you're not going to be able to keep it up until age 34.
Unless you're Ronaldo
Two jealous👀
And Milner. Scored in the Prem at 16. Still going 20 years later.
TIL Fabregas is still playing professionally.
[удалено]
That's crazy.
Tbf to Cesc he's been playing at a top level since he was 16. If you've noticed a lot of players who start out early also get burnt out by their mid 30s
Luka’s played 764 games. Cesc has played 719.
Modric is the exception, not the average or standard.
Giggs started at the very top at 17 and played over 1000 games.
Wait wait wait. Next youll tell me there's THREE players who have played more games than Fabregas. Actually nevermind, that's ridiculous.
Zlatan is over 800 so add another
That's very old.
I'm not trying to downplay Modric, infact I'm saying he's exceeded his fitness levels. I'm trying to compare Cesc to players like Rooney or Owen
Owen was on the decline before 30 with those injuries. Said what you want about the man, but hearing him talk about how his injuries changed him really made sad. I know what it’s like to lose an attribute that you rely on. Obviously I’m no where near his level.
Tbf Cesc left Chelsea at 30 and he wasn’t exactly in his prime at that point.
If we’re being real, the Croatian league (where modric spent many years) is not equivalent to the premier league. And that’s where fabregas started his youth. Just like Rooney, Owen..
Hasn't Ronaldo played well over 800 games?
You can’t compare Ronaldo to any “average” footballer, the man is obsessed with keeping his body in top shape, way beyond what anyone would consider reasonable.
How many of those games were in the top 5 leagues?
At one point modric assisted camavinga who was literally half his age
Let me tell you about Dani Alves and Pablo Gavi.
Let me tell you about Buffon and any other youngster lol
I feel like GK shouldn’t count
Ibrahimovic was 23 and moved from Ajax to Juventus, around the same time Lazetic, his teammate, was born.
Zlatan at that time even said "What I do with a football Lazetic does with a pacifier." or something
Holy shit, Modric is fucking beast. Didn't realize they were so close in age.
was injured for the last 8 months and barely played when he was fit anyway
Can't lie, seen more of him on twitter these days than on the pitch
I get the feeling he is unsettled at Monaco, if you read between the lines
“This year has been not only the worst year of my career but the worst year of my life” Idk, maybe i’m reading too much into it, but I think he might be slightly unhappy
Worst day of your life… so far
>slightly unhappy Well hell, man you can try to get some context from what he's saying, but don't just jump and put words in his mouth!
/r/YourJokeButWorse
Yeah my sources close to the player’s entourage are saying his contract expires in June and he is looking to depart.
More like Monaco don’t want to keep someone on high wages who is barely a footballer anymore.
You’re a real empath
Isn't it because he is constantly injured? Can't be good for his mind.
Fabregas is still playing?
Iniesta still playing in Japan, Cesc should join him
Nah he’ll get relegated. Jk it’s early in the year but Vissel Kobe ain’t lookin good.
Vermaelen was the former Barcelona player keeping them together.
I went to a game in Kobe last year and saw Iniesta and Vermaelen play. The atmosphere was amazing and Kobe is a really fun city. I'm a little surprised more older, high-profile foreign players don't go to Japan to play
that’s where i’d go if i was allowed in
this might seem weird but ive always fantasized about starting my football career there in japan and becoming a clubs talisman. you can tell im a captain tsubasa fan lol
Question - do you follow the league? J League YouTube account is amazing!! They post so many league 1 and league 2 highlights and also livestream some matches.
I actually try to haha. I’ve picked Sagan Tosu as the team to follow (they have a rough couple games ahead against the top dogs lol). I have checked out their YouTube! I watch the summarized highlights when they come out.
So is Podolski
Podolski plays in Poland now
Scored some bangers the other week Will always love Poldi
Amen, such a loveable character, one of my faves
Loved everywhere he played except maybe Inter Also stayed with his childhood Köln for a large part of his career. Absolute legend to fans of the game. Def one the streets won’t forget anytime soon
That's what I meant. That he is still playing. In this case, in Poland.
Depends on your definition of playing Last seen on the pitch in September 2021 vs Sturm Graz
Transfermarkt has it as being on the 23rd April for the B team. He played 42 minutes, got an assist, then missed the next match to an ankle injury.
He went off after 42 minutes, so he probably got injured in that game
He is perpetually injured unfortunately. Even when fit there isn't an automatic starter spot for him.
Well.. He's in a team but doesn't play
Younger than Modric!
Something going on in his personal life too?
He has always handled injuries quite badly, it has a massive impact on his confidence and mental health.
Lmao Monaco supporters, what happened with Fabregas for him to react this way? Monaco are currently 3rd in Ligue 1, still in a tight race for a place in the UEFA Champions League.
Not a Monaco supporter but I keep up with Cesc's playing career a bit, he's been fucked with injuries this season. He's probably coming to the end of his career tbh.
Ngl I already thought he was retired
Same, I've seen him give interviews about other players and past experiences... I thought he was enjoying himself by now
I thought he was talking about it as a coach.
His career already ended when he left Chelsea. He has not been same since then.
He actually had some decent periods with Monaco though. He wanted to play with youngsters and help them develop in a role that didn't demand too much of him. But injuries, changing managers and a role that didn't play to his strengths really stood in his way. I have mixed feelings towards him, but I hope he can move to a club where he can play for a season or two, refind his joy and end his career with a satisfied feeling.
This looking like an Arsenal return.
We do need a few midfielders hahah
Looking like he's retiring soon.
I don't think that's ever possible. A job behind the scenes at Chelsea maybe.
He’s got the biggest salary of the club and barely plays.
a series of injuries that kickstarted some serious locker room cancer behavior, from what we're hearing.
Why is the Monaco subreddit inactive?
[удалено]
2 dudes were carrying that sub on their back
Jeez what happened?
Damn son
Where'd you find this.
***TRAPAHOLICS***
WE MAKE IT LOOK EASYYYY
Fk with ur boi
For some reason I thought he had already retired.
I see him at Fulham. I really do.
The older chelsea fans would hate that
The fact that a year where he has been living in Monaco is the worst in his life makes me very envious
Don't be. Monaco is boring as shit once you've been around. And the people (unsurprisingly) suck.
Fabregas to Milan confirmed
No u
Ehehehehehe I know your current administration is too good for that kind of deal.
Genuinely thought he was just a pundit now, damn. Go get that MLS bag Cesc
He would get run off the pitch in MLS
Come to bruges mate!
Come on Cesc get down to Adams Park for a season in the championship fella
Keep Akinfenwa for another year, imagine that link up
I think he should probably end his career or play for like a lower table team in spain.
Wouldn’t he do well in the Eredivisie? I don’t watch your league, but I remember Odegaard was loaned to ADO Haag because it was a slower league, more technical league that would give him time to physically develop? Maybe it could work in reverse for Fabregas, hiding his physical weaknesses now?
It's hardly Monaco's fault he was injured for 46/50 games this season, is it
MLS or Qatar time dude. Or Japan like Iniesta, go experience dope culture and food
Always blows my mind that Fabregas racked up 200 appearances for Arsenal before his 21st birthday. He burned so bright at such a young age that, by the time he turned 28, his legs were gone.
He literally won the prem at the age of 28 while being the best midfielder in the league that season lol what
I'm guessing you never watched him play for arsenal... It's not an exaggeration to say he was twice the player at his peak whilst at arsenal, he played a more agressive box to box role aswell, changed games singlehandedly whilst often playing with questionable talent around him. Racked up the second highest assist record in premier League history before his 21st birthday at the time.
Yeah he was decent at Chelsea but the arsenal version of him was peak fabregas, guy could do everything, all action with an insane eye for a pass.
Yeah agreed. He used to be an aggressive attacking midfielder who'd contribute a lot of goals. The [goal against Spurs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3DaV_xn5xc) comes to mind. He wasn't the same player when he came back to the Premiership. Man Arsenal were fun to watch back then.
narrative related edits were made*
Seems to happen to German and Spanish players, they start sooo young. Iniesta, Villa, Fabregas, Özil, Schweinsteiger, Götze, and I guess we can also count Rooney here, by age 33 he was playing in the USA. Maybe this is the secret of Italian players, they can play for so long (almost into their 40's) because they start later? Its like you almost have a certain amount of years to burn through as a professional, and it doesn't matter if its 16-34 or 20-38...
Italians just appear in their teams at ~27 and work their way up from there. At around 33 they're in their prime.
Legit thought he had retired like two years ago.
Thought he retired a while back ngl
TIL Fabregas hasn’t retired
Oh well
Tell us how you really feel damn.