Cesc Fábregas's Arsenal career - in pictures

Fábregas makes his debut for Arsenal in a League Cup tie at home to Rotherham United, becoming Arsenal's youngest ever first team player, aged 16 years and 177 days Photograph: Andy Hooper/Rex Features

Fábregas subsequently become the youngest goalscorer in Arsenal's history, scoring in a League Cup tie with Wolves on 2 December 2003. Here he celebrates the goal with Baník Ostrava loanee Michal Papadopulos, making his only appearance for the Gunners Photograph: Andy Hooper/Rex Features

Fábregas then became Arsenal's youngest ever league goalscorer with a strike against Blackburn Rovers on 25 August, 2004 Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images Europe

Fábregas became the second youngest player to score in the Champions' League, when he scored in Arsenal's 5-1 win over Rosenborg Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe

Fábregas won his only piece of silverware for the club (the Community Shield aside) when Arsenal beat Manchester United on penalties in the 2005 FA Cup Final. He was substituted towards the end of normal time Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Arsenal made it to the final of the Champions League in 2006 but were defeated 2–1 by Barcelona Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe

Arsenal made it to the final of the League Cup in 2007 but were defeated by Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium. Fábregas in seen here at the fringes of a fracas that resulted in three players being sent off in injury time Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Fábregas became club captain in November 2008 after Arsene Wenger terminated William Gallas's erratic spell with the armband Photograph: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

Arsenal came up against Manchester United in the Champions League semi-final in 2009 but were beaten home and away and ended the season trophyless Photograph: Matthew Peters/Getty

Further misery was inflicted by Barcelona as they knocked Arsenal at the quarter-final stage of the Champions League in 2010. The first leg was an eventful one for Fábregas as he picked up a booking that would mean he missed the second leg and scored this penalty to level the tie at 2-2 but fractured his leg in the incident leading to the spot kick Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe

International duty proved more rewarding as Fábregas earned a World Cup winner's medal for his part in Spain's victory in 2010. His teammates cheekily stuffed him into a Barcelona shirt during their victory parade in Madrid Photograph: Daniel Sastre Huertas/Getty Images Europe

In an increasingly familiar scenario Fábregas's Arsenal were once more put out of the Champions League by Barcelona in 2011, this time in the first knockout round Photograph: Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

After the most protracted transfer saga in memory Cesc Fábregas finally joined Barcelona on 15 August, 2011 in a deal worth around £35m Photograph: David Ramos/Getty Images