Fabregas: Why I lost my passion last season

Captain Cesc Fabregas has admitted that last season was the worst of his professional career and that he had lost his 'passion for the game', preferring to be isolated at home and shut off from the world.

The Spaniard endured some personal tragedies last season as he coped with a four month injury and especially the lost of his grandfather, who was apparently a big influence on his career.

There was also much drama in the British media as Hull City manager Phil Brown accused the Arsenal captain of spitting in his assistant manager's direction after Arsenal's 2-1 win in the FA Cup.

It is something that Fabregas has constantly and vigorously denied, and Brown has never been able to prove it, yet has not been punished by the authorities for essentially lying and slander towards Fabregas' character.

In an exclusive interview with The Mirror, Fabregas said: "I was really down last season. I couldn't enjoy anything, everything was negative. I lost that passion for the game and was happier closed off at home. It's a very odd feeling.

"To be ruled out for four months through injury was the worst period of my career - but I learned a great deal from that experience.

"I deal with things very differently now. After a game it used to take me hours to pick myself up - three hours or so to deal with a defeat. Nobody could talk to me. But now, just half an hour.

"Maybe the next day you walk around with a bit of a long face, but you've just got to look ahead and be positive.

"I don't internalise now. I've got other things to distract me - my family, girlfriend, friends. I deal with criticism very differently now, whether it's something I read in the press or hear from fans.

"Before my injury, I took it all far too personally. Now I just think, well, what are you going to do? I don't allow it to get to me.

"I'm always making jokes, having fun, all day long. More and more I'm realising that life is to be enjoyed. You're here today and gone tomorrow."

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