Heroes that live long enough end up as villains. If your name is Cesc Fabregas, a World Cup champion and also a two-time winner of the UEFA European Championships, chances are that people who don’t even watch football must have heard of you one way or the other
The former Spain international is currently playing for the Ligue 1 side AS Monaco and got rated 2/10 for a supposed “abysmal” display in the Principality’s defeat to Olympique Marseille.
The result further sinks Monaco, who was few seasons ago going toe to toe with European giants at the UEFA Champions League, into the relegation zone of France’s division one football league.
After Fabregas controversially left Arsenal for Barcelona way back, the idea was that he was in search of a team with the potential to lift the Champions League and that potential they had except that they never really fulfilled it as it coincided with the rise of the German duo of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
His time at Camp Nou was met with mixed feelings as he never really nailed down a starting berth that was completely his. Then to stoke Arsenal fans’ anger yet again, he joined Chelsea.
After his spell at Stamford Bridge, the natural progression was to move across the Atlantic Ocean and join MLS Football. It is quite a surprise seeing him at Monaco, a team not only depleted of talents but one that is not going to be challenging anything. That is the profile of an average MLS side.
To be in France and be receiving a 2/10 rating is downright embarrassing. He was the least rated player in the match against Marseille.
It is really hard to tell which one is more embarrassing: his red card, 30 minutes into the season opener against Lyon or his current performance against Marseille.
It is harder to tell what exactly he is doing in France in the first place.