Cesc Fabregas was a lovely player to watch during his trophy-filled career, in which he starred in La Liga and the Premier League. Despite being a composed midfield maestro, the Spaniard's passionate side did lead to confrontations with two English icons.
The 38-year-old is now among the most exciting young managers in world football after retiring as one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history. He's highly-regarded in the sport, but his more aggressive side led to an 11-year feud with another top-flight icon.
Fabregas has also admitted that he 'disliked' another top Three Lions player for years before eventually becoming his teammate. It's fair to say the World Cup winner knew how to hold a grudge.
Cesc Fabregas Didn't Like John Terry Before Playing With Him
Chelsea John Terry
Fabregas went to war with John Terry's Chelsea many times on the pitch when he was an Arsenal player. The pair clashed several times before then becoming teammates at Stamford Bridge years later.
In an interview with Sky Sports in 2017, when Terry was departing Chelsea after winning the Premier League in the same team as Fabregas, the world-class midfielder admitted he had an intense dislike for him:
"He is the type of player that I had many battles with. I disliked him very much at some point playing for Arsenal, we had a lot of confrontations, but one thing I always had for him was respect."
Despite being London rivals for such a long time and Fabregas' admitted dislike for the Blues' captain, the Spaniard claimed he always had respect for the English stalwart.
Speaking about Terry's exit from Chelsea, he added: "He showed to be before a great man and then a great player. He showed he will always be a great captain for this team and I have to tell him a big, big, big thanks."
Fabregas' 11-Year Feud With Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard and Cesc Fabregas
A heated confrontation between Chelsea and Arsenal in the 2007 League Cup final sparked animosity between Fabregas and Frank Lampard that would last over a decade. The pair eventually made up following Lampard's retirement, in a Russian gym, bizarrely.
Speaking to The Telegraph in 2020, Fabregas confirmed that the collision in the cup final, which saw the two men pulled apart by teammates, was the reason behind the animosity. He claimed:
"It’s completely true [that we fell out], we don’t have to hide anything. I think he will tell you the same thing.
"We have had many, many battles during the years and we kind of disliked each other on the football pitch because he wanted to play and win for Chelsea and I wanted to win for Arsenal."
"The League Cup final was kind of crazy. We were losing 2-1 and it was basically the last moment of the game and you feel a little frustrated. [John Obi] Mikel and Kolo Toure went into a tackle and both got sent off. Me and Frank had a moment there," he elaborated.
The bad blood between the two midfielders was cited as the reason behind Lampard being allowed to leave Chelsea in 2014. Fabregas was on the west London club's radar and eventually signed from Barcelona that summer.
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The former England and Chelsea midfielder did not hesitate with his answer.
Lampard had been let go at the end of the previous season and the England legend was convinced it was due to the Spanish maestro's arrival. Per The Sun, the now 47-year-old claimed:
"We never played together! They let me go to get Cesc in.
"Me and Cesc never really got on well on the pitch so they didn’t think we could share a dressing room."