Thierry Henry has recalled the first time a teenage Cesc Fabregas came to train with the Arsenal first team and revealed how he gave the famous Invincibles midfield pairing of Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva the run-around.
Fabregas arrived at in north London from Barcelona as a 16-year-old in 2003, having been player of the tournament and top goalscorer at the summer’s U17 World Cup.
During his first season, the Spaniard made his debut in the League Cup and became the club’s youngest ever goalscorer, but he did not make a Premier League appearance, as the formidable duo of Vieira and Gilberto helped the Gunners side go through the entire season unbeaten.
And speaking to Fabregas in a Q&A on Puma’s Instagram page, Henry revealed that while his first impressions of his new teammate were cautious, he was soon convinced Arsene Wenger had signed a star.
“In those days the shirt was too big for anyone but on you it looked like you had a dress on,” Henry said. “I looked at the boss and said ‘Who the hell is this?’
“Man, I saw the team and I saw you. [I thought] Patrick and Gilberto – oh my gosh all the best. And then you started to move the ball around, one-twos - Vieira and Gilberto couldn’t get near you.
"That's when we knew: 'He can play with us'. Straight away.”
