Fabregas: Zidane was my idol

Cesc Fabregas has revealed his childhood hero was Zinedine Zidane.

The Barcelona midfielder says pictures of the former Juventus and Real Madrid star covered his bedroom walls as a youngster and he was in awe of his skills with the ball at his feet.

“I’ve always been a fan of Zidane; my bedroom was plastered with posters of him,” he told So Foot.

“There was something especially classy about him. He never seemed that quick yet he was always first on the ball because he was always at the right place at the right time.

“What fascinated me the most about him was his touch. It was so fluid and aerial. That’s what made him stand out, he had great elasticity.”

The former Arsenal captain grew up as a Barcelona fan but was still a huge admirer of Zidane, and he enjoyed reminiscing about his favourite memory of the 1998 Ballon d’Or winner.

“I can still remember one of his controls when he played for Real Madrid,” Fabregas said.

“There was an impossible cross-field pass, one where you tell yourself that there is no point even trying to get to it, but he somehow got his foot two metres in the air and controlled it.

“The touch was just perfect, as if the ball just deposited itself gently on his foot. He was levitating.”