Cesc Fabregas: I Could Never Stand Jose Mourinho and John Terry Before Chelsea Switch

Cesc Fabregas has admitted his current club Chelsea were always the team he ‘most wanted to beat’ while playing for Arsenal and Barcelona.

The midfielder – who joined the Blues in a £30million deal from the Catalan giants last summer – spent many years playing against Chelsea in England, and also locked horns with current boss Jose Mourinho – then at Real Madrid – while in Spain.

However, the 27-year-old has now revealed he never imagined he would one day work under the Portuguese tactician.

When asked if he ever envisioned himself playing under Mourinho, Fabregas told El Pais: ‘Three years ago no. It just shows you how you can never tell in life, and even more so in football.

‘We had a very intense rivalry with Mourinho. It never reached the level of hatred, not even close, but there were disagreements with him and [John] Terry too. Chelsea were always the team that I most wanted to beat.’

When then asked how Terry welcomed him after joining Chelsea, Fabregas replied: ‘He told me that anything I needed I could count on him.

‘We have now reached the stage where we can tell the tales of some of the battles we had to some of the younger players, and I certainly had some battles, especially with Terry and [Frank] Lampard.’