Never meet your heroes. When Cesc Fàbregas was coming through the ranks at Barcelona, he idolised Pep Guardiola. In 2001, as his parents were going through a painful divorce, a Barca coach persuaded Guardiola to sign his famous number four shirt for the young protégé.
During Fàbregas’ time at Arsenal, Guardiola would call and text him to discuss how he’d use him in his Barcelona system, and in 2011, after a long transfer saga, he got chance to prove it, as Cesc joined Pep at the Nou Camp, of course taking the number 4 shirt.
Fàbregas played under Guardiola for just one season before Pep’s sabbatical. He won La Liga and the Club World Cup, but was underwhelming overall. Barca won the Champions League the year before he arrived and the year after he left.
Speaking in 2021, Fàbregas revealed he hadn’t spoken to Pep since leaving Barcelona: “I don’t have any relationship with him, nothing at all, and I don’t know if the disappointment is mutual.”
Never meet your heroes. When Cesc Fàbregas was coming through the ranks at Barcelona, he idolised Pep Guardiola. In 2001, as his parents were going through a painful divorce, a Barca coach persuaded Guardiola to sign his famous number four shirt for the young protégé.
During Fàbregas’ time at Arsenal, Guardiola would call and text him to discuss how he’d use him in his Barcelona system, and in 2011, after a long transfer saga, he got chance to prove it, as Cesc joined Pep at the Nou Camp, of course taking the number 4 shirt.
Fàbregas played under Guardiola for just one season before Pep’s sabbatical. He won La Liga and the Club World Cup, but was underwhelming overall. Barca won the Champions League the year before he arrived and the year after he left.
Speaking in 2021, Fàbregas revealed he hadn’t spoken to Pep since leaving Barcelona: “I don’t have any relationship with him, nothing at all, and I don’t know if the disappointment is mutual.”