Cesc Fabregas in action against France at the 2004 U17 finals (©uefa.com)2004: Cesc Fabregas
Saturday, 3 March 2007by Andrew Haslam
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PrintSuch is the precocious talent of Cesc Fabregas, it is easy to forget that the midfielder is still only 19 years old and in just his third full season as a regular in Arsenal FC's first team.
World stage
Born in the Catalan town of Vilessoc de Mar on 4 May 1987, Fabregas started his career with FC Barcelona but came to wider prominence on the international stage at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2003. Five goals helped Spain to reach the final and, although that ended in a narrow defeat by Brazil, Fabregas could take some consolation in the Player of the Tournament award and was therefore an experienced campaigner by the time the UEFA European Under-17 Championship came round in 2004.
Arsenal move
By then he had left Barça to join Arsenal, and his goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC in December 2003 made him the youngest scorer in the club's history at the age of 16 years and 212 days. He also appeared in all three of Spain's Elite round fixtures in qualifying for the U17 competition in France, scoring in a 6-1 win against Hungary, and was quick to show his quality at the final tournament.
'Extraordinary talent'
Described as "an extraordinary talent" by Spain's U17 coach Juan Santisteban, Fabregas celebrated his 17th birthday as they took on Turkey on the opening day of the tournament and helped his team to a 1-0 win, earning fulsome praise from Santisteban in the process. "Cesc is a fundamental player for us," the Spain coach said. "He has experience that many of the others do not have as he plays for Arsenal and was with us [in 2003] even though he was underage. He possesses extraordinary quality, I love watching him play. He passes well, attacks well; in short, he has everything."
Cool head
Fabregas was unable to prevent the Spanish sliding to defeat against France in their second fixture, however, but was back on song in the third and final group game, producing a characteristically inventive display as his side won to ease into the last four. The teenager had been something of a background presence in his team's first three matches but came bursting to centre stage in the semi-final with England, helping to create an early goal for Marcos. England quickly equalised, however, and the match seemed to be drifting towards extra time until Spain won a penalty in the last minute. Enter Fabregas, who nervelessly converted to take Spain into the final.
Flourishing Fabregas
Despite the disappointment of losing that final to the hosts, in the aftermath of defeat Santisteban was quick to point out the long-term advantages of the competition to his players, saying: “My players are naturally disappointed and crying, which is normal when you lose a final. But overall this was a very good tournament, and I think it has benefited my players." Fabregas above all others has proved the wisdom of those words, flourishing in the seasons that have followed and becoming one of the pillars of the Arsenal team, not to mention Spain's seniors.
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