Francesc Fàbregas Soler (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈsɛsk ˈfaβɾəɣəs]; Spanish: [ˈfaβɾeɣas]; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who played as a central midfielder. He is the head coach of Serie A club Como.

Fàbregas came through La Masia, Barcelona's youth academy, leaving at 16 when he was signed by Premier League club Arsenal in September 2003. Following injuries to key midfielders in the early part of the 2004–05 season, he went on establish himself in the team. He broke several of the club's records and won the FA Cup in 2005. His performances earned him recognition, being named in the UEFA Team of the Year twice and the PFA Team of the Year twice.

After a protracted transfer saga, Fàbregas left London in August 2011 to return to Barcelona in a deal worth up to £35 million. During his three-year spell at the Camp Nou, Fàbregas played alongside Xavi and Andrés Iniesta and won a La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, and two Spanish Super Cups. He returned to London in June 2014 to Arsenal's cross-town rivals Chelsea for a fee of £30 million. In four-and-a-half years at the club, he won the Premier League twice, and the League Cup, FA Cup, and UEFA Europa League once each. He left for free to Ligue 1 club Monaco in January 2019 and retired in 2023, after one year in the Italian Serie B with Como.

Internationally, Fàbregas made his debut for the Spain national team in March 2006. He represented his country in the World Cup in 2006, 2010, and 2014, in the European Championship in 2008, 2012, and 2016, and in the Confederations Cup in 2009 and 2013. He was a key figure in Spain's European Championship victories in 2008 and 2012 and their 2010 World Cup triumph, in which he supplied the pass for Andrés Iniesta's winning goal in the final. In October 2015, Fàbregas earned his 100th cap for Spain.

Born in Arenys de Mar, Barcelona, Catalonia, to Francesc Fàbregas Sr., who runs a property company, and Núria Soler, the owner of a pastry company, Fàbregas has supported FC Barcelona since childhood and went to his first match when he was nine months old with his grandfather.

He began his club football career with CE Mataró before being signed for Barcelona's La Masia youth academy aged ten in 1997. It is said that his first coach, Señor Blai, limited Fàbregas' appearances in matches against Barcelona to reduce the risk of him being scouted by the club, though he eventually joined their academy. Despite initial attempts to retain him, Mataró eventually permitted Fàbregas to train with Barcelona one day per week. Eventually Fàbregas joined Barcelona's academy full-time. His initial training was as a defensive midfielder playing alongside notable names such as Gerard Piqué and Lionel Messi. Fàbregas was a prolific scorer at the youth level, occasionally scoring over 30 goals in a season, but he did not make a first-team game at the Camp Nou. During his time at Barcelona's youth academy, Fàbregas idolised Barcelona's then-captain and number four Pep Guardiola, who would later give Fàbregas his shirt as consolation when Fàbregas' parents divorced.

Sensing that he would have limited opportunities at Barcelona, Fàbregas joined Premier League club Arsenal in their Academy, signing for the London club on 11 September 2003. Initially, he found life difficult in England's capital but soon struck a friendship with Spanish-speaking teammate Philippe Senderos, who helped him settle down. As a 16-year-old, Fàbregas did not contemplate breaking into the first team immediately but looked up to senior players like Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva, while concentrating on training and learning the English language. He nevertheless made his debut for Arsenal not long after, on 28 October 2003, in a League Cup tie at home to Rotherham United. In doing so, he became Arsenal's youngest-ever first team player, aged 16 years and 177 days. He then became the youngest goalscorer in Arsenal's history in a later round of the League Cup, scoring in a 5–1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Although Arsenal went on to win the league unbeaten in the 2003–04 season, Fàbregas was not awarded a winner's medal because he did not play a single league game.

It was not until the start of the 2004–05 season that the Spaniard started making first team appearances in matches outside the League Cup. His first match of the season was against Manchester United in the FA Community Shield. Following an injury to Vieira, Fàbregas stepped in and made four consecutive Premier League starts. He was praised for his performances in those games, even claiming a goal against Blackburn Rovers in a 3–0 victory, and becoming Arsenal's youngest-ever goalscorer in a league game. With further injuries to Edu and Gilberto Silva, he received more playing time in all competitions. He signed his first professional contract with Arsenal in September 2004, which committed his long-term future to the club. In October 2004, Arsenal lost 2–0 to Manchester United, ending their 49-match unbeaten run in the Premier League. The match was dubbed the "Battle of the Buffet" after pizza was thrown at Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of the match in the players' tunnel by a then-unknown Arsenal player. Speculation that the player was Fàbregas was confirmed in November 2011 by former Arsenal player Martin Keown on a phone-in show on BBC Radio 5 Live. In the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, he became the second-youngest goalscorer in the competition's history after scoring the third goal against Rosenborg in a 5–1 win. He concluded his season by winning his first honours with Arsenal when he was in the starting eleven that defeated Manchester United on penalties in the 2005 FA Cup Final.