This is your captain speaking
25 November 2008
(The Sun) Here is what Cesc Fabregas had to say in his first interview as Arsenal Captain:
“I’m 100 per cent committed to this club and I will do everything I can to make us successful again.
“By becoming captain it shows how much I’m committed to the club. I actually feel I’ve shown commitment since I arrived here.
“Each year people talk about me leaving yet I’m still here and I want to be part of the future of Arsenal. I love the club and I’m totally committed to it. I’m not looking to play anywhere else.
“Of course, the future for Arsenal is bright. The players are very much looking forward to the next few years.
“We are strong enough to get through these difficult times.
“We have shown we can come back from problems before — and we can do it again.
“Right now is not the best moment for Arsenal and we have to admit that, because everybody knows some of the results have not been good.
“But people can see we have quality players and that we have a lot of good youngsters coming through.
“We want to show just how good we are.
“We have to prove that all the criticism we have had is not justified — that we are together and that we are one of the best teams in the country and in Europe.”
Fabregas, the second-youngest Arsenal skipper after Tony Adams, will lead the Gunners in tonight’s Champions League Group G clash against Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev at The Emirates.
“It is a real honour for me to be captain of one of the biggest clubs in the world and I feel very proud. I will give it my best and try to take the team forward.
“I don’t think it matters about my age. I have a lot of experience in terms of the amount of football I’ve played for Arsenal and I know all my team-mates very well.
“But I realise that being captain is a big responsibility.
“I’ve talked with the manager about the job and he was very positive about me.
“I don’t want to go into everything that was said because that is between us but I know I have his confidence.”
Fabregas got the job after French defender William Gallas was stripped of the armband for criticising the team in an interview last week.
Yet Fabregas, the team’s midfield driving force, does not believe it will make for a difficult atmosphere in the dressing room.
“What has gone on with William is in the past now.
“He’s a great guy and I respect him a lot.
“This club has had some of the greatest captains ever — like Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Tony Adams.
“I didn’t know Adams but people have told me about how important he was at Arsenal and, obviously, I’ve had help from Patrick and Thierry. I know as well that if I need William he will be there for me.
“Being captain won’t change me as a person. I’m the same guy and the same player.
“I’m not the type who shouts at everyone and I won’t change that. It’s up to all of us to take responsibility for getting things right again. It’s not just up to one player — it’s up to the whole team to stick together.â€
Arsenal are down to fifth in the Premier table. But Fabregas added:
“Unfortunately, we have also had a lot of injuries, as we did at the end of last season. It hasn’t all been in our control.
“Now this is a big week for us and we have to go game by game.
“We want to qualify for the Champions League knockout stage by beating Dynamo Kiev and then we want to try and win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
“That will be a massive game for us and if we can win it, things can change round again and people will believe in us more.”
Arsene Wenger also spoke to The Sun and said:
“I have never doubted Cesc’s commitment and that was one of the reasons for making him captain. It’s important you are the voice of the club to the outside and your commitment is not questioned.
“Cesc has the leadership qualities, the experience and the confidence of the other players.”
You can read an excellent article by former gunner great, Martin Keown, talking about Cesc’s appointment here as well as reactions from Ray Parlour and David O’Leary
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oii ppl he aint leaving and he will stay for the rest of his career okay ppl sooooo wen he is soo fit they wont go bcoz i said soo and btw! I SUPPORT ARSENAL 4LIFE AND 4EVA AND ALWAYS XXX
fabregas shouuld move to ac milan!! between he and kaka, they’ll be unstopable! hes so cute, damn, his girl fren is lucky!!!
Thanks all
Fabregas ROCKS!!!! PLEASE STAY IN ARSENAL FOR THE REST OF YOUR CAREER!!!
hello fabregas you are the best i love you for ever
you are the best of the world and the best for futbol
i like you i give all for you i hope know some day
kisses for you i love you
you are the most beautiful
te amo eres lo mejor del mundo para mi y para el futbol
por siempre lo mejor
k wpo es mi bebe cescky!!!
hello.I like what cesc said.he is very kind…in iran a lot of people like him.I sad fter that I find cesc injured.I hope that cesc come to playe very soon.good bye.
I like the layout really you did a nice job with the look of the site it’s easy to read and even though theres tonnes of stuff it doesn’t feel too cluttered
lol poor George you must be bored
Yes it’s on purpose lol the site is Arsenal colors and specifically *cough*yesiamafreak*cough* the colours from the away shirt that Arsenal were wearing at the San Siro when we beat AC Milan 
I don’t know if that means there’s method in my madness or just proves there’s madness in my madness 
lol
You know looking at that picture all the colors from that shirt are used in the site layout is that by accident or like did you do that on purpose? You can tell it’s a slow day at work for me huh
love him~
he’s gonna lead the team to a better future!
viva Fab! gonna be fabulous!
Let’s Go GUNNERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reading that brought a big smile to my face. It is so strange that he’s captain….it’s just like wow….
And he’s completely right about everyone taking responsibility. Although, he will have to play a big part in uniting the team(if they are still arguing amongst themselves) . But I have full confidence in him.
And he does have lots of experience, all the players like him so he was really the most reasonable choice. Plus, he loves the club.
“I don’t want to go into everything that was said because that is between us but I know I have his confidence.â€
Right there. That immediately indicates that he is going to respect the privacy of the club, the players and the manager.
Come on Arsenal. A win tonight means we get through the knockout stage, and it’ll instill some confidence in the team, and it’ll be a great start to cesc’s reign as captain XD
haha. ‘this is your captain speaking’ Love it!!!
God Bless You Cescieeeeee >>>
Great words … it really shows his WISDOM ……
OMG I LOVE THIS GUY …. he’s killin look ,he’s killin words,he’s killin wisdom And he’s killin SMILE >>>>>>>> GOD I cant take it
He really deserves it & I’m really happy 4 him ….. so keep on Rockin CESC
GOOd luck tonight & just so you know we are all supporting you guys >>>
Great interview … Thanks Rose
Good interview! Hope he has a great start to his captincy 2nite!!
It’s so true what he says about having shown committment! He has been at Arsenal a long time and although the media, especially the spanish media are always spreading rumors and lies… the truth is Cesc has never even shown a flicker of interest in leaving. His agent made some comments once and Cesc sacked him!
No one can know for sure what the future will hold but so far he has always been 100% loyal and it really irritates me that he doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves for this because of the media and the dumb stories they make up but that is something totally out of his control!! Grrrrrrr!!
Anyway! Great interview and I have everything crossed that we win tonight!
Thanks for posting the interview
i’m so happy that cesc got the armband
but some people are saying that he’s too young, and that kolo toure would be a better captain because he’s been in the team for much longer and has loads of experience.
however i still think that this is the best choice for arsenal, they are going through a very tough time and needs a good captain to lead the team. and i believe that cesc can do it!
by the way CF now stands for captain fabregas
I hope Cesc and AW’s faith in Gallas is not misplaced. I’m a bit nervous about having that loose canon in the dressing-room and on the pitch. I hope he’s professional about things and doesn’t undermine Cesc or cause any more trouble.
Good interview. Now for a good result and a convincing performance tonite. C’mon you mighty gunners!
Let’s hope he can start off with a good result tonight. Get qualification ticked off the list of things to do and build a bit of confidence ahead of the trip to CSKA London
“I don’t think it matters about my age. I have a lot of experience in terms of the amount of football I’ve played for Arsenal and I know all my team-mates very well.”
That’s the thing about Cesc he is unique, in that he is young but he has also been playing first team football for five years. It’s a lot of experience. He is 2 years younger than Clichy but they debuted for Arsenal in the same Carling Cup match on Oct 28, 2003. So Cesc has certainly got the miles on the clock
Great interview! And already he shows why he will be a good captain because he has the maturity to handle the press and I’m glad to hear him say he won’t change and that it is up to the whole team to get things right. That is very true. I’m 100% behind him!
great words! I liked what he said
well said for Captain Cesc in his first interview as Arsenal Skipper!!
when i read da interview; i had to remind myself dat he’s only 21.. what he said was beyond his age.. WOW!! :O
hopefully; Arsenal will have a turn around after tis Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev.. Captain Cesc will bring them to glory!!
wahahahahaha.. Go Gunners!! Go Cesc!!