Cesc Fabregas: When Arsenal icon scored vs Barcelona with broken leg in 2010 | OneFootball

On March 31, 2010, Cesc Fabregas was the hero as Arsenal drew with Barcelona in their Champions League quarter-final first leg tie.

Arsenal were the huge underdogs against a prime Barcelona. The Catalan giants were reigning Champions League winners and were favourites to win it all again.

Pep Guardiola’s side raced into a two-goal lead against the Gunners. But Arsenal staged a late comeback.

Theo Walcott pulled a goal back in the 69th minute.

Fabregas then won a penalty with five minutes remaining.

The midfielder was felled inside the box by Carles Puyol, earning the Barca man a red card.

Fabregas dusted himself down and dispatched the penalty with aplomb.

Fabregas quickly retrieved the ball and ran back to the half-way line. On his way back, he collapsed in pain and was substituted.

The game finished 2-2. Fabregas was pictured on crutches after the game. It turns out that he had sustained a broken leg. Watch the moment below…

Imaging scoring against Barcelona with a broken leg!

He told the Sun after the game, per ESPN: “My leg is broken – and I feel broken too. The penalty I scored against Barcelona could be my last act as an Arsenal player this season. But I have to cling to the hope that we can get through at the Nou Camp, win our semi-final and I might be fit for the Champions League final. That might be asking a lot but it is my dream and what I pray for.

“When Carles Puyol fouled me to concede the penalty all I could think about was to grab the ball put it on the penalty spot and hit it as hard as I could. The adrenalin must have been flowing through me so strongly because I didn’t feel any pain as I smashed the ball past Victor Valdes. But as soon as I ran to collect the ball to take it back to the centre-spot I was in agony.

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“I had been dreaming of playing for Arsenal at the Nou Camp – it’s all part of the magic of us being drawn against Barcelona. I’ve never disguised how special the club is to me and I desperately wanted to be there and give a performance fit for such a wonderful stadium.

“Some people think I may have even broken the leg against Birmingham a week earlier – and, to be honest, I just don’t know. Yes, it’s exactly the same spot but I didn’t go into the game against Barcelona thinking ‘My leg’s broken’.”

Fabregas did not play again in the 2009/10 season. He played one more season for Arsenal before departing for Barca.

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