Cesc: I need this medal to replace one I lost!
WHEN Cesc Fabregas walks out at Wembley to face Manchester United this afternoon, it will bring back memories of the 2005 FA Cup, the first major trophy he won as an Arsenal teenager. That was against United, too, and the Spaniard’s standout memory is of kicking Roy Keane and running away. Ask Fabregas where his medal is from that match at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, however, and he cannot tell you. Thirteen years on, it is missing. So not only are Chelsea trying to save their season by winning the Cup, Fabregas is gunning to replace his missing medal. ‘We played really badly, to be honest,’ Fabregas says of the 2005 final Arsenal won on penalties. ‘We were lucky. I can say that now, I don’t care! I remember that final in a special way. It was my first big trophy as a professional at a very young age. I remember Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane. It was a fantastic United team, one of the best teams I faced. ‘I remember kicking Roy Keane in a good one-on-one. I got away because he was on the floor, so he could not say anything. He couldn’t get hold of me. Then I remember when Patrick Vieira scored the winner. It was his last kick as well for Arsenal. ‘This medal … I cannot find it. My dad used to keep them and one day I said, “Listen, where are all my medals?” He even nearly lost the World Cup one! It was in my mum’s house in a box.’ Fabregas can laugh about it now — he says he hasn’t checked eBay for it — but he hopes he will have a new medal tonight. ‘I’m always pleased to play in finals. Especially here in England, the FA Cup is seen as one of the big trophies,’ he said. ‘Everyone talks about the Champions League, the World Cup, the Euros, but if you are a bit of a romantic, the FA Cup is always very special. ‘We have to value that, we have to appreciate that, knowing that if we win we are winning a special trophy.’ And with a medal worth keeping safe if you do.