Chelsea FC’s Cesc Fabregas has long been a source of controversy for his transfers between clubs that are also heated rivals. He created his own controversy when he decided to leave Arsenal for his boyhood club of Barcelona which he left when he was just 16. He stirred up a little more trouble when he decided to make the move to Chelsea FC rather than returning to Arsenal this summer.
After the move to Chelsea FC became official, Cesc Fabregas was bizarrely criticized in Barcelona’s official farewell to him for not performing well late in the season. The statement read that his “magic tended to fade later on in each season” and that Fabregas “was never as good in the second half of a season as in the first”. To that, his former Barcelona and current Spain teammate Pedro believes that he received that criticism unfairly and that Fabregas is “one of the best midfielders in the world”.
Pedro on Fabregas
"I think Cesc is being valued just how he should be in the Premier League – I felt he had quite a bit of unfair criticism at Barcelona. I’m not surprised what he’s achieving with Chelsea because he’s a great player – one of the best midfielders in the world, who connects well with forward and has terrific vision. I’m happy for him that he’s doing well.”Source: Daily Star"
Whether you believe that Fabregas is one of the best midfielders in the world or not is irrelevant at this point. What is relevant is that the criticism he received for his time at Barcelona was indeed unfair. Fabregas was often played out of position at Barcelona but still contributed 42 goals and 36 assists in 151 appearances. For the non-math aficionados, that means Fabregas was directly responsible for 78 goals in 151 games, a little over half a goal per match. Fabregas is on a similar pace at Chelsea FC and he has proved all of his doubters wrong with his tremendous performances with the Blues.