Still only 20, Fabregas now rivals Patrick Vieira as Wenger's most astute signing. The Spaniard dictates the tempo of Arsenal's attacks with a maturity which belies his tender years and, after a frustrating season of bad luck and missed chances, is regularly finding the net. Player of the Year? Quite possibly.

"The main factor behind Arsenal's success is the consistency of Cesc," said Barclay. "It's something I don't think I've ever seen from a young player before. No other youngster I can think of has had so many man-of-the-match performances in a row. Even Wayne Rooney, the other great prospect in the Premier League, doesn't quite achieve the same consistency of team contribution as Cesc.

"The other thing about Cesc is he inspires other players to the same consistency as he achieves. If you look at Mathieu Flamini for example, I think he's been excellent this season as well. It's that consistency and extra variety which has helped the team."

Gurruchaga knows just highly Fabregas is regarded in his home country; what impresses the El Correo journalist is his compatriot's humble attitude. "Fabregas is very sensible and wise to refuse the tag of 'superstar' because he is a collective player," said Gurruchaga.

"He's a midfielder who looks for colleagues, makes combinations, he needs people running around him, playing one-twos, he needs Flamini sitting behind him to allow him to get forward. He's not a Maradona, he's a collective player but he makes Arsenal tick."