Fabregas: Why I dumped Arsenal for FC Barca

Cesc Fabregas has opened up about his decision to quit Arsenal and sign for FC Barcelona back in 2011.
The Spanish midfielder opted to leave the north London club despite being captain at The Emirates and return to his boyhood side FC Barcelona.
Fabregas signed for Arsenal as a 15-year-old back in 2003 and went on to make 303 appearances for the north London side but failed to help them to win the Premier League title.
He joined FC Barcelona back in 2011, before moving to Chelsea FC in the summer of 2015.
He now plies his trade in Ligue 1 with AS Monaco.
Fabregas has now opened up about just why he opted to leave Arsenal back in 2011, including claiming that he felt that Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri were the only two other players on his level at the north London side.
Speaking in an interview with Arseblog, Fabregas said: “I was the captain, I always felt so much pressure on myself.
“I had to lead this team to win something. I gave everything. Sometimes, I used to go home after we lost and I used to cry.
“I used to suffer, I used to spend sleepless nights suffering. And then you lose a game, you’re in the bus like this, destroyed, and then you hear some players laughing, thinking about where they will be going out later.
“This was going on for a few years. We were playing beautiful football and I enjoyed that side of things but I was putting pressure on myself to lead, to do everything and at one point I felt kind of lonely.
“Especially in the last two or three years, I felt Robin and Samir were the only players – it’s not an arrogant thing to say, it’s how I felt at that time – were the players who were at my level mentally and technically.
“Many things came in my head, I have to admit I was a bit empty, I was drained mentally, physically, in my soul knowing I’m giving everything, knowing a few signings the club could have made but didn’t happen.
“Seeing some behaviours from certain players or something like this made me feel I wanted to check something else. If it was not because of that, I would not have left Arsenal at that time.”
Arsenal are currently in ninth place in the Premier League table as they chase a top-four finish under Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners are scheduled to return to top-flight action with a home clash against Liverpool FC on 2 May as they look to climb the Premier League table.