Tag Futebol

Former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fàbregas recently announced his retirement from professional football.The World Cup-winning Spaniard has had done incredible things throughout his illustrious career, so Football Fancast has decided to highlight 10 memorable moments as a footballer.How many of these do you remember?

Four assists v Blackburn Rovers

On 4th October, 2009 at the Emirates Stadium, Fàbregas registered four assists in one match whilst scoring a sensational goal of his own.

The La Masia youth product captained the Gunners to a 6-2 victory over Blackburn Rovers and etched himself into Premier League history, becoming only the third player to provide four assists in a single game.

The record still stands today and only seven players have managed to achieve the phenomenal feat.

Assisting the World Cup winner

Does it get much bigger than this? Assisting the winning goal in a World Cup final…

Fàbregas, Spain’s No 10, delicately controlled a loose ball before playing a perfectly weighted pass to Andrés Iniesta, who powered home a half-volley past Netherlands goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg in the 116th minute, sending the Johannesburg crowd into raptures.

It marked the crowning moment during a golden era of Spanish football, after winning the UEFA European Championship in Austria two years prior.

That assist on his Chelsea debut

After completing a £30m move from Barcelona, Fàbregas starred at Turf Moor on his Chelsea debut, laying on two assists and putting the rest of the league on red alert. Jose Mourinho’s men brushed aside Burnley with ease, winning 3-1 and setting an early precedent in a season that led to a Premier League title.

Chelsea’s second goal was simply masterful. Pure football at its finest. Fàbregas cut open the Burnley defence with one pass before the onrushing André Schürrle clinically finished a quite mesmeric move.

Dethroning Vieira v Juventus

The 2006 Champions League quarter-final between Arsenal and Juventus was billed as Patrick Vieira’s homecoming, and a lot was made of the midfield battle between Vieira and the young Fàbregas.

The Spaniard was only 18 at the time, but he was already viewed as the Frenchman’s replacement, who departed the previous summer.

In a classic encounter between the master and the apprentice, Fàbregas gave his predecessor the run-around, and contributed with a goal and an assist on the night, beating the Turin titans 2-0 at Highbury.

Swearing on camera after winning the title

Celebrations were in full flow at The Hawthorns, after Chelsea sealed the title with a 1-0 victory under the stewardship of manager Antonio Conte.

Live in a televised interview, the elated Fàbregas let slip an expletive, to Gary Cahill’s amusement, and in many ways, it displayed his complete authenticity as he described his love for football.

Not quite what the broadcasters would’ve wanted to hear, but it was a refreshing moment for viewers.

Scoring from kick-off v Spurs

Arsenal, having just scored to go 1-0 to the good, stunned their north London rivals from the restart. Fàbregas pounced on a deflected Wilson Palacios pass and drove through the Tottenham midfield before nipping it past Ledley King and finishing off a wonderful solo effort.

It’s easy to forget quite how fast the Spaniard was. His acceleration and quick feet probably aren’t traits he’s remembered for, but certainly, in his earlier career, he had them in abundance.

Reaching 100 assists

On the final day of 2016, Fàbregas became, at that time, the fourth player in Premier League history to register 100 assists. He also became the fastest (293 appearances) player to reach that landmark, beating Ryan Giggs’ previous record of 367 appearances.

The two-time Premier League winner still ranks as the second-highest (111) assist maker in the league’s history, further showing the difficulty of such achievement.

He also notes it as one of his favourite memories in a Chelsea shirt.

Crucial winner v QPR

A late 88th-minute winner at Loftus Road restored Chelsea’s seven-point lead at the top of the table and provided a great deal of relief for Blues fans after nearly dropping points against relegation-threatened QPR.

Fàbregas came up trumps and delivered a crucial side-footed finish past Rob Green, who was beaten by the pace of the shot.

Captain John Terry led buoyant celebrations after the full-time whistle in what felt like a monumental moment in a pressurising title race.

Throwing pizza at Fergie

On 24th October, 2004, Manchester United defeated Arsenal 2-0 at Old Trafford to end their 49-game unbeaten run. Chaos unused in the tunnel afterwards, but the most notable event of the brawl involved a slice of pizza…

17-year-old Fàbregas, who was at the back of the conflict, launched a slice of pizza in frustration but wasn’t aware of where it landed. He later discovered it hit Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson directly in the face, who wasn’t best pleased, to say the least.

The famous match was later dubbed ‘Battle of the Buffet’, or alternatively ‘Pizzagate’.

Broken leg penalty v Barcelona (March 2010)

During a Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona in 2010, Fàbregas scored a penalty to level the scores – breaking his leg in the process…

The Gunners skipper later admitted he was playing off pure adrenaline.

“The adrenaline must have been flowing through me so strongly because I didn’t feel any pain as I smashed the ball past Victor Valdes. But as soon as I ran to collect the ball to take it back to the centre-spot, I was in agony,” Fàbregas said.

He also added he didn’t know whether he sustained the injury the week prior.

“Some people think I may have even broken the leg against Birmingham a week earlier – and, to be honest, I just don’t know. Yes, it’s exactly the same spot but I didn’t go into the game against Barcelona thinking ‘My leg’s broken’.”

Liverpool target Arda Guler is one of the hottest young prospects in Europe this summer, but Fabrizio Romano believes the young attacking midfielder may extend his contract and stay at the club another season.

Romano told his Youtube channel that the youngster may extend his deal with the Istanbul club out of respect for the platform they have provided for him so they can get a higher transfer fee either this summer or next.

Who is Arda Guler?

The 18-year-old ‘The Turkish Messi” has clubs around Europe circling attempting to gain his signature. Former teammate Mesut Ozil stated the young prospect can become a “world star” and it comes as no surprise that Liverpool are reportedly eyeing up the young talent.

Born in 2005, the youngster can play in central midfield, attacking midfield and on the right wing, per Transfermarkt.

The left-footed playmaker has four Turkish caps to his name already, scoring his first goal for his country with a stunning strike against Wales.

What has Fabrizio Romano said about Arda Guler?

Romano told his Youtube viewers: “The release clause in the contract of Arda Guler at Fenerbahce is €17.5 million (£15 million) for this fantastic talent.

“Guler wants to respect Fenerbahce and he will consider the possibility to extend his contract and allow the club to get more money in the right way."

How good is Arda Guler?

The youngster, who likes to drift out onto the right-hand side of the pitch and use his creativity, shone in the Turkish Super Lig this season, delivering an average match rating of an impressive 7.84 per Sofascore.

Guler provided four goals and four league assists for Fenerbahce and will no doubt improve as he gets older, stronger and more experienced playing first team football.

His development could be helped by staying one more year in Turkey with confirmed first team football, but no doubt Europe’s elite clubs will be after him next summer if he does stay.

Tottenham Hotspur's U21 gem Matthew Craig is edging closer to a new deal with Spurs as the club attempts to tie down one of their brightest youngsters.

Who is Matthew Craig?

At just 20-years-old, there is no shame in never having heard of Tottenham's Craig. The youngster currently plays for Spurs' U21s and has impressed the club's hierarchy with consistently strong performances at youth level.

The defensive midfielder is rated so highly that he even debuted in Spurs' final game of last season, a 4-1 win at Leeds United in which he played the final quarter-of-an-hour. Craig's versatility is impressive and he featured at both centre-back and right-back last season as well as his more comfortable midfield role.

He featured 32 times for Spurs' U21s last term, registering five league assists, and has also featured in Scotland's youth teams on a semi-regular basis. His identical twin brother Michael also used to play in Spurs' youth setup, but has since been released and joined Reading.

Is Craig signing a new deal?

The great news for Spurs is that Craig is nearing a new deal with the Lilywhites, something the club are keen to get over the line following successful contract talks with 15-year-old sensation Mikey Moore last week.

According to journalist Alasdair Gold, the deal is nearly done for Craig: "More good news for the U21s. From what I understood the last time I looked into the situation, which was a couple of days ago, is that Matthew Craig looks like he is going to sign his new deal to stay at the club, or certainly they are getting closer to getting an agreement."

"If you are not aware of Matthew Craig, he played mainly as a defensive midfielder last season but was very versatile. He can play as a full-back, he can play as a centre-back. Only 20-years-old, he has been on the bench for the first team quite a lot."

He added: "Probably one of the best players for Spurs' U21s last season, without a shadow of a doubt actually, so that is great news for Spurs."

If Craig does indeed sign a new deal then there would likely be an expectation of increased exposure to first-team football, meaning he could be a more frequent name on Ange Postecoglou's team sheets next term.

Craig has featured on the bench a total of 10 times in the past two seasons and will have to be ready if he is called upon next campaign.

Brighton and Hove Albion starlet Moises Caicedo is “very interested” in joining Arsenal this summer, according to journalist Charles Watts.

Who will Arsenal sign this summer?

Of the plethora of targets linked with a move to north London recently, Caicedo features among the most prominent, with reports suggesting that central midfield additions are of top priority.

Arsenal missed out on a first league title in nearly 20 years to Man City last season, despite being in pole position for much of the campaign, and it is the task of transfer chief Edu to back Mikel Arteta with fresh faces.

There is a case to be made that injuries to the likes of William Saliba hampered their momentum towards the back end of 2022/2023 – emphasizing the need to strengthen in key areas.

Premier League stars are attracting serious interest from Arsenal, namely West Ham’s Declan Rice and City captain Ilkay Gundogan, with Caicedo also regularly mentioned by the press.

As well as the aforementioned names, the Gunners could look abroad for right-back signings, as Galatasary’s Sacha Boey and Real Valladolid’s Ivan Fresneda enter the forefront of Arsenal’s thinking.

Going back to Caicedo, reliable reporter Watts, formerly of GOAL and football.london, has shared an update on Arsenal’s links to the 21-year-old.

Ecuador’s star, who has dazzled for Brighton last season under Roberto De Zerbi, is apparently “very interested” in joining Arsenal.

However, while he is open to a north London move, Arteta and co may have to act quickly as Chelsea are also very much in the frame to sign him.

Who is Moises Caicedo?

The South American ace, who featured at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar last year, has been called one of Brighton’s “exceptional” players by members of the press.

As per WhoScored, this certainly holds up, with Caicedo standing out as a key defensive player last season.

The midfield enforcer averaged more tackles and interceptions per 90 than any other Brighton star over 2022/2023, backing his real quality and imperiousness in front of a back four.

If Arsenal are indeed keen to provide some cover in that position, Caicedo may well stand out as a real potential asset, though reports suggest the Gunners may have to spend around £70 million.

ScorecardA career-best match haul from Ashton Agar was not enough to save Western Australia from defeat at the SCG, where New South Wales wobbled but reached their target of 96 with seven wickets down. The Blues started the morning at 0 for 3, but on a dry pitch offering plenty for the spinners, they lost enough wickets throughout the day to send some jitters through the camp before the task was completed.They did not lose their first wicket until the total had reached 36, when opener-nightwatchman William Somerville was run out for 23, but his opening partner Daniel Hughes fell to Agar for 13 just three balls later. Ed Cowan made 25 and Kurtis Patterson scored 13, but no other batsman reached double figures as Agar and his bowling colleagues gave the Warriors a sniff.However, in the end New South Wales did enough to secure their second win of the season, despite Agar’s 4 for 31. He finished with match figures of 10 for 141, the second ten-wicket haul of his first-class career, and it completed a match that was dominated by the spinners, with Somerville having taken nine for New South Wales and Steve O’Keefe eight.