Spanish star Cesc Fabregas has marked his one year anniversary at Chelsea - and revealed the hard work that got him to the top.
The 28-year-old, who enjoyed a sparkling first season at Chelsea, was taken on by Barcelona as a 10-year-old and made his first-team debut for Arsenal at 16.
And having moved to Stamford Bridge a year ago today, the Spaniard says passion for the game has taken him to the top.
“I trained everywhere I could. I had my school team, I used to play with my dad, I used to go to my town’s club to play on the pitch,” explained Fabregas.
“If you really love it and it’s your passion, and you want to achieve what you are doing, you will make it happen."
His dedication from a young age clearly paid off as he has broken numerous records including becoming the youngest player in Spanish footballing history to compete in a World Cup.
Fabregas, however, admitted that combining football with school was tough: “When I was ten I signed for Barcelona and that’s when things started to get more complicated.
"My town was one-and-a-half hours away, and we had to drive after school at 5pm, train at 7, finish at 9, arrive home at 11 and then do the study and wake up at 7.
"My week was full and at the weekend we had games. It was six tough years before I joined Arsenal, but everything was worth it.”
In pictures: Chelsea parade
