Former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has admitted that Chelsea were always the team he wanted to beat before joining the Blues last summer from Barcelona.
Spanish international Fabregas spent several years trying to beat Chelsea and Jose Mourinho during his years with North London side Arsenal and then with boyhood club Barcelona, and he has spoken about his move to Stamford Bridge and working alongside the Portuguese boss.
“Three years ago, no,” he told El Pais when asked about linking up with Mourinho. “It just shows you how you can never tell in life, and even more so in football.
“We had a very intense rivalry with Mourinho. It never reached the level of hatred, not even close, but there were disagreements with him and [John] Terry too. Chelsea were always the team that I most wanted to beat.”
Fabregas then compared Mourinho and former Barca boss Pep Guardiola, claiming that they are both similar in style.
He added: “Don’t be so sure [that they’re so different]. I think they have one very important thing in common: they’re winners.
“They both hate losing. They’re more similar than many people think. Mourinho is asking us to play attractive football. This [Chelsea] team aren’t about sitting back: we’re about attacking and getting on the ball.
“They’re both winners and they both like playing attractive football, though their working methods aren’t exactly the same – they have different ways of going about things.”