Chelsea's Fàbregas: 'I have been reborn'

Each of us, in one way or another, is constantly seeking the right place to be. The right city, the right job, the right partner, the right opportunity ... the feeling that we are both where we should be and where we want to be. Belonging. Achieve it and there's a sense of well-being. An obstacle to excelling in life, love or happiness is removed.

For a while it was clear that Cesc Fàbregas thought that, for him, that physical location was Catalonia. Playing football and winning trophies in its capital, Barcelona. Able to indulge in happy family memories half an hour further up the Mediterranean coast where he was born and raised. But even before returning to London he knew, with certainty, that you can adopt a home; that the "right" place to be isn't an innate fact – it can be chosen, created. England was calling him back. It was important, not only for football but personally too, for him to answer that calling while he was still at the peak of his career.

This time, largely because of the attractive football proposition which José Mourinho laid in front of him, it is Stamford Bridge which has given him a sense of well-being. And there is more. When he talked to me about feeling a "rebirth", about deriving great satisfaction from Mourinho returning him to play in a position which draws on the essence of what he learned in the Barcelona youth system, to the heart of organising midfield, it was clear he had found the "right" place in a football sense, too. 

What is your fondest childhood memory of football?

I have many, but it is probably when we won the treble with the Barcelona Under-15s. That was my last match as a youth player before joining Arsenal. We won the treble: the Copa Catalunya, the Copa del Rey and the league. It was a truly unforgettable year.

Across your career, with whom have you had the best connection on the pitch?

It would probably be Leo [Messi]; we were together from a very young age. We have always got on very well and had an excellent connection on the pitch. Another player with whom I have been playing for many years is David Silva. We played together in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Finland when I was 16 and we have had a very good connection since. But I could name many others.

Are these connections innate and instinctive or do they grow from friendships, or simply out on the pitch?

A bit of everything, but it happens on the pitch more than anywhere else. That is where the friendship grows. I am not sure how to explain. It is strange. With these players, with just a glance or a bit of movement they understand you.

What is the best advice you have been given?
A piece of advice I have received on several occasions is, no matter if you are playing well or badly, always try to have a neutral mood. When you are doing well, at the top of your game and winning trophies, do not think: "I'm the best and that's that." And when things are going badly and you are down in the dumps, do not let it get you down.

When I was younger, I had problems when we lost. I'd always blame myself. I would think we lost because of me. I would go home and beat myself up over it. It would really get me down. I have always had people help me, and now I am more mature after playing more games with experienced players and under great coaches.

Part of that maturity was developed in London. How is it coming back here, both as a player and a person?

Very good. I never completely left London. Whenever I had two or three days off, I would come here. I have amazing memories from this city and consider it my second home.

What attracted you to Chelsea?

I felt valued when I spoke to the boss. Then you write the team down on a piece of paper and you say: "Wow, this is a great team." It made me think it would be good to come here and take up a new challenge.

What specifically does José Mourinho ask of you?

He asks me to bring stability to the team, to always be available. My team-mates should always have somebody to pass to. I help stabilise the team defensively. Part of the philosophy at Barcelona, and during my final years at Arsenal as an attacking midfielder, was whenever the opposition centre-back had the ball, we had to press him. That is something you take on and constantly think about: press the opposition, press the opposition. 

When you are one of two holding midfielders, as I am now, that is more difficult. You press high up the field but if you arrive late, you leave a lot of space behind you. That is when the manager says: "It's better if you do this, this and this. Hold your position and press when they are facing their own goal." They were small details I had to pick up again and now I feel comfortable once more in this midfield position. This is the position I perform best in.

What would it mean to win the UEFA Champions League?

It is important. The Champions League is the competition I still need to win. It would give me enormous satisfaction. We have a great team. I do not know if it will happen this year, next year or in the next five years. That is football. Javier Zanetti won it at 36 [with FC Internazionale Milano in 2010]. Football will decide. I played in a Champions League final [with Arsenal in 2006] and we lost in the last few minutes. It was incredibly sad. I've played in four semi-finals. You are there, you practically touch it, you get so close ... I hope I can experience that moment one day.

Your former international coach Luis Aragonés said to you: "You love giving assists, but you have to score more." What gives you moresatisfaction?

When I was under Luis Aragonés, I was one of two holding midfielders, with a slightly more attacking licence for Arsenal. Luis gave me that advice, which has stayed with me. It helped me change the chip in my football brain. Whenever they asked me in interviews if I preferred scoring or providing an assist, I would always say an assist.

Arsène Wenger pushed me upfield into the hole in 2009. From that point I would be in and around the area a lot more, and the goals started flying in. There is nothing quite like scoring a goal. Scoring goals is the most beautiful part of football, but I have always identified myself with and enjoyed providing the final ball. Only the people who know how to play the final pass for a goal know what it feels like, and I feel immense joy when a goal is scored from my pass. Putting the striker through one-on-one with the keeper is enormously satisfying.

At Barça I practically played as a centre-forward, where I ended up scoring quite a few goals, and now it is like I have been reborn. After five years playing on the edge of the opposition box as a striker, I have started again. I am back in the position I played at 16. At the start I found it tough in training with a coach like Mourinho, who is a bit more imposing. "Be well-positioned. Drop off. Support the players behind you, do not lose the ball." [But now] I really like it.

If you could spend the day with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?

I would like to be able to spend an entire day alongside Tito Vilanova and Luis Aragonés once again. It is those things you sometimes miss, memories. I learnt a lot from them. I had some incredible moments with Tito when I was a boy, then he gave me many opportunities and taught me a lot when I was at Barcelona, especially when I was going through a tough period at the end of my first season back. As for Luis Aragonés, he really believed in me. He gave me some incredible opportunities that I never could have imagined. They are two people I miss.

This article comes from the matchday four issue of Champions Matchday. Champions Matchday is the official magazine of the UEFA Champions League and is available in print or free to download in digital format. You can follow the magazine on Twitter @ChampionsMag.