Arsenal players have frequently been accused of being injury prone, soft and lacking in mental resilience. These accusations ring hollow when the case of Cesc Fabregas is considered. After playing for the final ten minutes of the home game against Barcelona with what was later discovered to be a broken leg, Cesc showed once and for all the steely resolve and determination that runs through his veins.

Fabregas has been our inspiration all season long. After a slow start, when he was hampered by a niggling hamstring injury, he came to life in the early autumn and his form was rarely sedated for the rest of the campaign. It took a fractured fibula to halt his rise, and even then he tried to carry on.

Cesc finished the season with 19 goals and 17 assists, but his contribution cannot be measured simply by statistics. His influence in the Arsenal team is incredible as he drives the midfield forward and sets the tempo of play. Arsenal’s other chief creators, Arshavin, Rosicky and Nasri are all highly capable forward-thinking international players, but all pale into insignificance compared to Fabregas. Cesc’s passing is immaculate, but what makes his distribution so effective is its incisiveness. Denilson can pass the ball 10 yards to the side or backwards a thousand times, but Fabregas regularly passes the ball to an opponent in a dangerous position or into space, threatening the opposition.

In early October Fabregas was crucial in the rout of Blackburn Rovers. He scored one and assisted four other goals, emphasising his control of Arsenal’s passing game. He matched this performance later in the month against Tottenham, scoring a magnificent second which essentially sealed a game in which Arsenal had been struggling. The goal illustrated Fabregas’ wholehearted commitment as he snatched the ball from Spurs’ kick off and rode three challenges before calmly slotting into the corner of the net. His celebrations showed that in an age of overpaid foreign mercenaries, Fabregas is an anomaly who truly cares about the club he plays for and feels a bond with the supporters.

Against Villa in December, Cesc showed how valuable he is to the Arsenal cause as he sprung from the bench to score a brace of excellent goals in a match in which the Gunners had been searching for inspiration against a pugnacious Villa defence. That the spark came from our Spanish playmaker came as no surprise, especially when it is considered that Cesc scored five crucial goals in just over 200 minutes of football in a period between December and January.

As the season wore on, his leadership became even more obvious. He drove the team on against Stoke when Ramsey was so badly injured, galvanising his team-mates and willing them on to victory. Cesc looked like a true captain that day at the Britannia. This was repeated at home to Burnley in March as Fabregas refused to be withdrawn through injury until he had put his side 1-0 up with a sublime goal. Yet his goals and assists merely highlight his contribution to the cause. It is Cesc’s all-round game that raises him to a higher level as he demands the ball at every opportunity and instigates attacks and passages of passing with a consistency no-one else has managed this season.

He played a captain’s role against Barcelona as Arsenal hauled themselves back into the tie in the first leg. Cesc won and converted the equalising penalty with a broken leg, a fact that is quite breathtaking when it is considered he was prepared to play through pain throughout the game with a badly bruised shin and hobbled about for the final ten minutes as the team had made all their substitutions. Whilst the effect of this gesture was negligible, as Barcelona were down to ten men and were content to see the game out, it should be taken into account that not every player would play through the pain barrier with such commitment. Even with a broken leg, Cesc was bursting forwards trying in vain to support his team-mates.

With this in mind it is to be hoped that Barcelona do not follow up their attempts to recruit our leader this summer as he truly is irreplaceable in this Arsenal side. His influence is unquantifiable as he not only leads the Arsenal scoring and assists charts, he also took free kicks, corners and penalties throughout the season and played the role of midfield general with aplomb, monopolising possession and sparking most of Arsenal’s attacks. Whilst some fans questioned the appointment of Fabregas as captain, it is fair to say that all Arsenal supporters must now see his suitability to the role. It is still early days but I for one have seen glimpses of great past Arsenal captains like Adams and Vieira in Cesc’s performances and I can only hope he continues to grow into the role.