#6 Cesc Fabregas
Like Thierry Henry, Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit – who all starred at Arsenal before moving to Barcelona – Cesc Fabregas made a big move from the Emirates to the Nou Camp. But realistically, it was difficult for even hardcore Arsenal fans to begrudge him making the move – the Spanish midfielder had come to the Gunners in 2003 via Barca’s academy, where he’d trained as a child.
It took Fabregas some time to settle but by 2005/06 he’d fully embedded himself into Arsenal’s first team as a key player, and while he only won a solitary trophy with the Gunners – the FA Cup in 2004/05 – he was a huge hit there and had 8 seasons at the club, becoming club captain in the process.
By the summer of 2010 though, rumours were swirling surrounding his future – most notably when he pulled on a Barcelona jersey during Spain’s 2010 World Cup-winning celebrations. June 2010 saw Arsenal reject a €35m bid for the midfielder, but a year later, they couldn’t resist selling – and picked up a cool €29m for him, with a further €5m in add-ons. A season later, in 2012/13, Fabregas won his first – and only – La Liga title with his new club, finally achieving the success he’d failed to find at Arsenal.