4. Cesc Fabregas

From promising youngster to the heartbeat of the Arsenal side - Cesc has come a long way since joining the club as a 16-year-old in September 2003.

Likeable and level-headed off the pitch, Cesc is the complete midfielder on it. He has always been tigerish in the tackle and blessed with wonderful technique and vision, but Cesc added a new dimension to his game last season - goals, and plenty of them. He netted seven times in his first nine games and, although that scoring rate fell away, Cesc still ended up with 13 in all competitions. There were some belters too, including long-range efforts at Tottenham and Milan.

To nobody's surprise, the fulcrum of Arsène Wenger's side walked away with Arsenal.com's Player of the Season award for the second successive year. He has plenty of admirers outside Emirates Stadium too, not least among his peers - they voted him PFA Young Player of the Year.

The Spaniard first came to prominence at the Under-17s World Cup when he walked off with awards for best player and top scorer. Soon after arriving from Barcelona he became Arsenal's youngest ever player and scorer. By the time he had left his teenage years behind, Cesc had surpassed 150 appearances for the Club.

Of course, the 21-year-old is now also a fixture in Spain's national squad and played a major role in his country's Euro 2008 triumph. Cesc came off the bench to devastating effect in the group stage and netted a penalty shoot-out winner against Italy in the Quarter-Finals - his first spot-kick as a professional.

 

MY YEAR

October

Despite breaking his nose on international duty, Cesc didn’t miss a second of the action in October. The Spaniard headed a last-gasp equaliser at Sunderland before registering two assists against Fenerbahce. The 21-year-old reserved special praise for his young team-mates during the month when he said: “It’s hard to imagine I’m one of the oldest players at the Club now but it will be a privilege to help guide some of these youngsters through. We’re the envy of every other club and it’s so exciting to be a part of that.”

September

Carling Cup aside, Cesc Fabregas didn’t miss a kick for the Gunners in September. After missing much of August with an injury, Cesc was once again the heartbeat of the side in September. He managed to find the net once when he bundled in from close range against Hull but goals from Geovanni and Daniel Cousin on the day would have slightly soured that memory.

August

Injury restricted Cesc’s movements in August. The Spaniard missed the opening three games of the season but was back with a bang in the final week. Just over an hour against Twente at Emirates Stadium was followed by the entire 90 minutes against Newcastle, a game that saw Fabregas really find his groove again. The maestro is back.

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