Before leaving Arsenal for Barcelona in 2011, Cesc Fabregas's weekly salary was believed to be in the region of £110,000 per week. This made him one of the highest paid players in Arsenal's history.
After being scouted by Barcelona at an early age, Fabregas joined their youth ranks and began to impress many at the club with his ability and maturity. However, believing it would be hard to break into the first team any time soon, he signed for Arsenal in 2003 at the age of 16, for only £250,000. Nevertheless he made his debut for Arsenal in October of the same year in a League Cup game against Rotherham United, making him Arsenal's youngest ever first team player. Within the next couple of seasons and due to the departure of Patrick Vieira and injuries to other midfield players, Fabregas quickly became a key player for Arsenal.
Due to his performances and his Catalan heritage Fabregas was frequently linked with a move back to Barcelona. To prevent this, in 2010, Arsenal offered him a contract extension and wage hike to £110,000 per week. However, not even this could stave off the lure of Barcelona, and after one of the longest transfer sagas in recent history, Barcelona paid Arsenal £30 million for Fabregas's services. He subsequently transferred back to his home club in 2011, and made his debut in the Supercopa de Espana against Real Madrid the same year.
