Arsenal fan and blogger Mohammed Asim gives his view on how Cesc Fabregas should be remembered by Gooners.
Twitter was buzzing last week with arguments about Fabregas- who saw his Barcelona side crash out of the Champions League semi-finals to Chelsea.
Most Arsenal fans angered by his untimely departure to his boyhood club consider him a traitor, while there are a few who are generous, to call him a ‘legend’.
I try not to ignore the heroics of the kid, who at a very ripe age tried to prove his mantle at a club in desperate need of talent with the likes of Bergkamp, Vieira and Pires saying au revoir to the manager and the club.
Like most I was a huge fan of the player I considered among the most talented central midfielders in the world, and hated to see him leave, and always tried not to hate him.
But, the fact that he didn’t trust in Arsene Wenger, the man he called “like father”, angered me.
I was hoping that he’ll be one of those “once a Gunner, always a Gunner” types, and wanted to see him winning loads of trophies.
Sadly, the Barcelona craving caught up with him and after his recent critical comments on Arsenal’s tactics, I’m happy that Karma has taught him a deserving lesson.
So, Fabregas a legend or not? Before answering that, lets see how can you define a legend?
Does a player who wins trophies and individual honours at the club be called a legend?
Then, what with clubs like Spurs who have no trophies to flaunt? Do they have no legends?
Or, clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City if they win, who do they call legends, the Russian and Arab owners?
Fabregas at his tenure at Arsenal has nothing to be proud of when it comes to silverware, no honours, set aside the European Championship and the World Cup, which of course have no direct bearing on Arsenal itself.
But, without a doubt Cesc was a key player to Arsenal’s brand of beautiful football, and enjoyed many happy moments with teammates and fans. Is that enough to give him legend status?
In that case, there are players like Gilberto Silva, Edu, Lauren, Sol Campbell, and so on who deserve it a million times more than Cesc. The lines between a legend and a cult hero become blurred.
If that is the criteria I would say Eboue is one of the biggest legendary characters Arsenal has had, and Tomas Rosicky is for me fast becoming an Arsenal legend.
It should also be remembered commitment is another major factor to judge legendary status, and when you factor this in, then even though he captained the club, I’m sorry I’ll place Cesc with those I hate rather than adore.
I’m just curious to see if Robin van Persie can go on to be an Arsenal legend who both achieves success at club and stays committed.
images: © Ronnie Macdonald, © Ronnie Macdonald
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