Player profile

The complete midfielder, Fabregas is expected to be fully fit for the World Cup, despite suffering a small crack in his right fibula as a result of a collision with Barcelona defender Carles Puyol during the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final in March.

Despite his injury, the Gunners captain considers 2009/10 to be his best season to date: he scored a career-best 19 goals in all competitions and recorded 15 assists in 27 Premier League games, a tally bettered only by Frank Lampard.

A former youth team player at Barcelona, Fabregas has been the subject of a written offer by the Spanish champions, who want him to return to the club.

Fabregas is the youngest debutant and goalscorer in Arsenal’s history, achieving both records at the age of 16 in 2003 and he became the youngest Spanish international for 70 years when he made his debut in March 2006, aged 18 years and 10 months.

Has sometimes found himself on the bench for Spain, but is the player to benefit when they opt for a five- man midfield, as was the case for the Euro 2008 final.

In May, he paid £12,000 at a charity auction for his sister to have dinner with actor Orlando Bloom.