Cesc Fàbregas, in the great photos of the Selection

Cesc Fàbregas hangs up his boots after a 20-year career at the highest level. After going through the lower ranks of FC Barcelona, ​​he ended up at Arsenal where he played the first part of his career to return to Barça seven years later. He returned to England to Chelsea and after five years his career ended in Monaco and Como. Since his debut with the National Team on March 1, 2006 in a friendly against the Ivory Coast, Fàbregas became one of the key figures in the Euro-World Cup-European Cup winning cycle between 2008 and 2012.

The midfielder from Arenys de Mar wore La Roja on 110 occasions and scoring 15 goals. Tied with Fernando Torres as the ninth player with the most caps in the history of the Spanish National Team. In addition, he has been present at the decisive moments of the three tournaments won in a row.

The beginning of the winning cycle of the Spanish National Team began in 2008 at the Eurocup in Austria. The team led by Luis Aragonés won the Cup against Germany on June 29. The first stumbling block appeared two rounds earlier, in the quarterfinal against Italy. After the 0-0 in the 120 minutes, Fábregas converted the fourth and final penalty and put an end to the curse of the quarterfinals that haunted the national team.

In the 2010 World Cup final against the Netherlands he is also at the decisive moment. He starts the match on the bench and replaces Xabi Alonso in minute 87. Finally, at minute 116, he gave the pass to Andrés Iniesta to score the goal.

In 2012 the last great trophy that the National Team won until the League of Nations of this 2023 arrived. La Roja arrived at the Euro Cup in Poland and Ukraine with doubt in the lead. Vicente del Bosque solved the ballot by placing Fábregas as ‘false 9’. In the final against Italy, Spain came out with six midfielders in the starting eleven: Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, David Silva, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández and Cesc Fàbregas. The makeshift striker assisted Silva in the 14th minute on the goal that opened the later 4-0 lead.

Fàbregas’ career with the National Team was unbeatable. In ten years with the absolute he was continental champion twice and World Cup gold. In 2016 he played his last major tournament with Spain in the European Championship in France in which he was one of the captains. He ends twenty years at the highest level in which only the Champions League was elusive in his career between clubs and the national team.

Despite having been in top clubs in Europe, he never managed to win the orejona. Between FC Barcelona and Chelsea he has won six of the last 18 editions, none of which coincided in the eight seasons he played at Stamford Bridge and the Camp Nou. In fact, He is the last player to retire of the 22 players who took the field in the 2006 Champions League final between Arsenal and Barça. The Catalan was one of the key pieces of the eleven gunner who lost 2-1 against Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona.