Cesc has been just Fab

Spain midfielder nominated for PFA award

By James Dall   Last updated: 11th April 2008

Cesc Fabregas Arsenal

Fabregas: Football in his veins

THE NOMINEES
Players' Player of the Year
Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd)
Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
David James (Portsmouth)
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Young Player of the Year
Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd)
Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Micah Richards (Man City)
+ Vote for who you think the players will select as their PFA Players' Player of the Year? Go to www.givemefootball.com to vote and you could be in with a chance of winning a signed framed shirt of the Players' Player and the Young Player.

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Senor Fabregas has grown as a footballer and as a man since he jetted his way from the sun-soaked and culturally rich lands of Barcelona to establish himself as a prominent component in Arsene Wenger's future plans.

With time - specifically this season - he has freed himself of his previously fractious mentality, now channelling those youthful mannerisms into the assets of a tigerish midfielder who covers every blade of grass.

The steadying grapple over his temperament has enabled him to flourish further this campaign as his footballing mind matures like a fine Spanish Rioja - deep with incomprehensible tones and richness.

Fabregas is a midfielder with vision and creativity; his Arsenal team-mates are required to quickly tune in to his psyche, which is often far into the future.

He already boasts a whopping 15 assists in 29 Premier League matches this term - a figure that more than demonstrates his ability to pull the strings like a pin-point quarterback.

His physique and playing style have, on occasions, been compared to the terrific Paul Scholes; however Fabregas has previously failed to replicate the United man's ability to hit the back of the net on a regular basis.

Pinata

But the 2007/08 season has seen the Spain international come of age as he burst his scoring troubles like a fragile pinata, with sweet goals raining aplenty early on - seven in the first nine games of the season.

The highlight of those strikes coming against bitter rivals Tottenham as his long-range screamer stunned White Hart Lane to hand The Gunners a priceless victory.

Then came a first-rate brace as he took centre stage in Arsenal's 7-0 massacre of Slavia Prague; the first a deft curler and the second the final brush stroke to a wonderfully painted move.

There is, however, one moment that stands tall above the many that have formulated Cesc's campaign: that famous night in Milan when the most experienced of UEFA Champions League veterans chased vivid, youthful shadows.

Fabregas was sent into ecstasy when his daisy-cutter nestled into the bottom left-hand corner, handing Wenger's men an unforgettable scalp at the San Siro.

And at 20-years-old, there is much more to come from the Spanish dynamo - a thought which must surely whet the appetite of those that enjoy the taste of football when it is at its most succulent.

Gordon Taylor's verdict

The Gunners continue to be one of the best and most attractive teams to watch and the excellent young Spaniard is at the heart of most of their good work. It's incredible to think he's not even 21, yet he plays with such maturity and calm.