Fabregas reveals Pep ‘disappointment’, Mourinho friendship
Former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas says he has no relationship with ex-Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola, while he has built a friendship with Jose Mourinho.
Guardiola won three La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues, two Copa del Reys and numerous other trophies in his four years as manager of Barcelona.
The current Manchester City boss signed Fabregas ahead of his final season at the Camp Nou before taking a sabbatical.
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When asked if he has had contact with Guardiola since, Fabregas told Alacarta: “No, no, with Pep nothing at all.
“I don’t know if the disappointment with Pep is mutual. Things happened, but I prefer not to talk about it. Pep was my idol since I was a child. It is him I have learned the most, perhaps, since I was four until now.”
Fabregas does stay in touch with Mourinho, however, and now considers his former Chelsea boss a “friend”.
“Mourinho inspired me the most when I left Barca,” Fabregas added.
“He told me that we had had our issues on the pitch when he was at Chelsea and I was at Arsenal and then when he was coaching at Real Madrid and I was at Barcelona, but that for him, it all ended there. We turned the page.
“He told me about his project. I had to go where I thought I would do best, the decision was mine and it didn’t depend on what people said. I prioritised the professional [aspect], and today I still write to him and I consider him a friend.
“He helped me a lot at a difficult time in my career and perhaps I played one of my best seasons with him.”
Just about all of the greatest uncapped Premier League players ever were pursued by England. And only four of them were English.