...via tiki-taka, after a long journey.
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by Philipina A. Marcelo
"Back home" reads a banner in the FC Barcelona website. "The prodigal son has returned" is how Barça fans in the Total Barça website put it. Yep, the "transfer saga" finally comes to a close via an estimated £35M initial deal. Cesc Fàbregas is back in Camp Nou with FC Barcelona - his boyhood Club - where he belongs. Eight years... that's how long he was away. And in those years, he worked his way from a 16-year-old new recruit to become the team captain of one of English Premier League's top club, Arsenal FC, at the age of 21 years. His fantastic talents and skills as a midfielder, unearthed and honed in the famed La Masia of Barça, rose to world-class quality under The Gunners' French coach, Arsene Wenger. The 24-year-old sprinkled The Emirates Stadium with dust of incredible brilliance throughout his stay, and he was loved and admired by Gooners for that... but home beckoned, and its call the forever cule, Cesc, just cannot ignore - and will not ignore.
Wearing the #4 jersey, Cesc reunites with fellow La Masia alumni and Barça Youth teammates, "the little genius", Lionel Messi, and Gerard Piqué, on the pitch, under the guidance of his boyhood hero and role model, Pep Guardiola. He joins world-class midfielders from his 2010 World Cup-winning Spanish National Team, who are all Barça Youth Team products like himself: the Maestro of midfield, Xavi Hernandez, the "other little genius", Andrés Iniesta, and Barça's defensive midfield specialist, Sergio Busquets in Camp Nou. As such, the former Gunners captain is expected to sit some matches out on the bench... but it is Barça - the best squad in the universe at the moment... and viewed by many as the best ever. Perhaps, any brilliant footballer would be more than happy just to wear its Blaugrana shirt. And, Cesc isn't just "any brilliant footballer" either... he is a Barça fan who loves the Catalan giants' shirt as well! And so, while it is a sad day for the Gooners, Camp Nou rejoices as it welcomes back a gem of a son!
All the best, Cesc!
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Photo credit: Getty image via Total Barça website - thanks.
