Fabregas: The way Wenger treated me was ‘not normal’

Matt Stead

Cesc Fabregas says that Arsene Wenger “was like a second father” to him at Arsenal, which is “not normal” in modern football.

Fabregas broke through in the Gunners’ first team aged just 16, making 46 appearances in his first full season with the club.

He joined from Barcelona in 2003, but Wenger immediately promoted the Spaniard to the senior side.

Now at Chelsea, the 29-year-old spent eight successful years at the club before moving to Barcelona, and Fabregas was full of praise for his former mentor in an interview with FourFourTwo.

“Arsene Wenger was probably the most important because he gave me the chance – the real chance that everyone needs and everyone wants,” he said, when asked of the most important managers throughout his career. “After that it’s up to you to prove whether they are right or wrong.

“He gave me the chance. He took me when I was only 16, made me a better player, a better person, and was like a second father with the way he treated me.

“It’s not normal nowadays in football because everything is so fast and everyone is so impatient. You need results now.

“So for that Wenger is a special manager, a special person, and I know without him I wouldn’t be here right now.”