Fabregas Returns to Football after Seven-Month Layoff; Leaves Pitch with a Limp

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By Martin Graham | 26th Apr 2022

Former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has made his return to football with AS Monaco‘s reserve side after a seven-month injury layoff.

The midfielder played for 45 minutes with the reserve side in a National League 2 match, and had to be substituted after he was clipped in the ankle by an opponent. There was a slight limp but nothing suggests a relapse, and the player’s update after the game shows that he is on his way to full recovery.

Fabregas was injured in a French Ligue 1 match for the Principality club in September, and has been in and out of recovery ever since. He has also suffered from a coronavirus infection which took a while to recover from.

The World Cup winner stayed active behind the scenes during his recovery, however, mentoring the Monaco youth as part of their coaching staff on the request of the club. Fabregas broke through the ranks at 16 after leaving Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy for Arsenal and he went on to achieve a lot before he turned 30.

He is a player who has been relied on by many of his coaches for football insight and the Monaco heads decided to put his footballing intellect to good use at the club while he recovered. He was also active in the media as a guest pundit for several leagues, analysing and breaking down games for the fans.

Amid speculation of his retirement and now fit enough to play, Fabregas may make a return in the final games of the season for Monaco as they seek a strong finish to their Ligue 1 campaign. They currently sit in fourth place on the league table and have been the most in-form club in the league’s closing stages.

He shared a clip of his return on his Twitter, in which he also provided an assist for a goal. He captioned the video clip: “Didn’t play for a few months but felt good yesterday the 45’ I played. Still got a few tricks here and there.”

It remains to be seen, however, if his return to football will last long because of the recurring injuries he has suffered since making the switch to Monaco from Chelsea in 2019.

His contract at the club is also set to expire this summer, and there are no talks of a renewal deal for the midfielder either, meaning that he will have to find a new club if he is to continue playing next season.