Fabregas tipped for golden World Cup with Spain

If there's one player the fans of Spain and England will be keeping an eye on at this summer's World Cup, it has got to be Arsenal's talented midfielder Francesc Fabregas, seen here during an April 2006 Arsenal match.

If there's one player the fans of Spain and England will be keeping an eye on at this summer's World Cup, it has got to be Arsenal's talented midfielder Francesc Fabregas.

Depending on the fitness of Spain and Barcelona regular Xavi, the precocious midfielder from Catalonia may find his chances of featuring in Luis Aragones' starting line-up limited.

But after a sterling season with the Gunners and a first Champions League final appearance against his former club Barcelona, the 19-year-old's admirers will expect him to seize an imminent World Cup chance with both hands.

For Spain fans watching Fabregas's progess in England from afar, it would not come as a surprise - he has been a pivotal player in the various national squads for years.

But it was after the 2003 Under-17 World Championships, where he was voted player of the tournament and won the Golden Boot after his six goals helped Spain reach the final, that his career took on a new dimension.

Arsenal came in with an offer, and suddenly the 16-year-old Fabregas was on his way to London where there awaited a quicker chance of playing first team football under Arsene Wenger.

Since then Fabregas has rewritten the club's record books.

And it has made Aragones sit up and take notice.

Aragones first called Farbregas up to an informal squad meeting with a view to replacing Xavi after the Barcelona midfielder had picked up a serious knee injury last winter.

It was in December 2005, six months before the World Cup and Fabregas was excited about his new opportunity.

"I'll approach it with the same determination as I did when I came into the Arsenal team," he promised.

Three months later in a friendly against the Ivory Coast Fabregas began his international debut on the left of a three-man midfield with Albelda and Xabi Alonso.

As both his fellow midfielders were substituted in the second half, Fabregas got to play the full 90 minutes and Spain went on to win 3-2.

Fabregas described it as one of the happiest days of his life.

"It's been a very intense but also very special week. Now I just want to keep my feet on the ground and be sensible about things."

It's not just the Spanish public, who would love to see the teenager playing back in the Primera Liga, who have been excited by his precocious talents.

Arsenal fans and foes would be hard pushed not to applaud a player whose arrival helped the despairing Highbury fans get over the departure of French midfield general Patrick Vieria.

In his place, they got a quick, intelligent and versatile midfielder who can lay on goals - and score them.

Fabregas became the youngest-ever Arsenal goalscorer when he scored a goal at the age of 16 years and 212 days in December 2003 in a 5-1 League Cup win over Woverhampton.

His first goal in the Champions League goal came in Arsenal' 5-1 victory against Rosenborg BK in December 2004.

This season his confidence has grown, and he has performed consistently at the top level in Europe notably against Real Madrid, who are said to be interested in making a move to sign him.