Speaking in an interview, former Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas has admitted that he dreams of coaching his boyhood club in the future.
Fabregas came through the ranks at La Masia but ended up leaving the club for Arsenal in his teen years in 2003.
The Spaniard became a world-class footballer at the north London club before eventually returning to Barcelona in 2011 and enjoyed a successful three-year stint and moved back to England, joining Chelsea in 2014.
The 35-year-old also spent a few years at AS Monaco before joining Italian second division side Como this past summer. Currently in the final phase of his career, Fabregas has admitted that he wishes to coach Barcelona someday in the future.
“I can’t deny that it would be a dream to coach Barça one day. Time will tell. Right now all I want to do is prepare myself well to become a coach,” he said in an interview with RAC1.
On his preparations for becoming a manager, Fabregas added: “I have notebooks with notes about the things I liked and didn’t like about the different coaches I’ve had. To keep it in mind for the future.”
Doing so would mean that Fabregas would follow in the footsteps of his former teammate Xavi, who returned to become the manager of Barcelona last summer. Talking about the 42-year-old club legend, the Como superstar said:
“I’m not surprised that Xavi is the coach of Barça. His name is already enough credit to manage a team like Barcelona.”
On the chances of the Blaugrana winning the UEFA Champions League this season, Fabregas said: “We’ll see. Now they have a team with a high level and very competitive.”
There have been a lot of talks about Lionel Messi returning to Barcelona next summer when his contract with PSG expires. Fabregas shared his thoughts on the Argentine’s possible comeback, saying:
“I don’t know if it’s possible. It could be an option if Barça are open to it. It would be a beautiful and happy ending.”
On his former Chelsea teammate Marcos Alonso, who joined Barcelona this summer, Fabregas said: “Marcos Alonso is a great free-kick taker. If he is given opportunities, the Camp Nou will see a lot of free-kick goals, no doubt.”
The former La Masia ace also spoke about Gerard Pique’s reduced game-time situation at Barcelona this summer, saying: “It’s very hard to be benched. It never goes down well. It must be difficult for Pique to train the day after a game while the other players are doing recovery work.”
Fabregas’ contract with Como runs until 2024. It will be interesting to see if he hangs up his boots then to become a coach or continues playing beyond that before entering into management.