Cesc Fàbregas has named his ideal five-a-side team from his former teammates, but no Chelsea player made it in.
Fàbregas was highly tipped as a youngster, winning the 2003 Under-17 World Cup Golden Ball. That was the same year he swapped the Barcelona academy for Arsenal, and after spending eight years with the Gunners he moved back to Catalonia to join Xavi and Andres Iniesta in a star-studded Barcelona midfield.
Chelsea signed him for around £30m in 2014 and he stayed at Stamford Bridge for five years, eventually leaving in January 2019 for Ligue 1 side Monaco on a deal until the summer of 2022.
Speaking with Thierry Henry in a Q&A on Instagram as quoted by the Evening Standard, 33-year-old Fàbregas gave a throwback to Spain's three consecutive major tournament triumphs for the goalkeeper position.
In picking Iker Casillas, he said: "For what we experienced together and the big moments we had together. We’ve had so many amazing moments together with Spain."
He opted for a two-man attack, selecting Lionel Messi and the host of the Q&A Thierry Henry, who he played with at Barcelona and Arsenal respectively.
Defenders didn't fare well at all, with a grand total of zero making the cut. The string-pulling midfielder instead completed the team with two fellow midfielders.
He added: "David Silva. I always had this understanding with him, these players they don’t talk about as the best in the world, but I always had a special feeling with him. [Andres] Iniesta and Silva are the two players I always felt ‘Wow, I’m enjoying this so much’.
"Iniesta and David Silva have to be there for me - I know I’m not playing with any defenders but I will go with one goalkeeper that will save everything."
Silva was a teammate of Fàbregas' at international level, while Iniesta played alongside him for both Spain and Barcelona.
Source : 90min