Cesc Fabregas Names The 'Toughest Coach' He Played Under And Its Not Pep Guardiola

Former FC Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas on Thursday revealed the toughest coach he played under in his career.

Having played for three top European clubs – Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea, Fabregas has worked under some of the most renowned managers, including Pep Guardiola, Arsene Wenger, Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho.

Fabregas named Conte the toughest boss he has ever had. The two worked together at Chelsea during the manager's two-year spell (2016-2018), where they won the Premier League and FA Cup.

Fabregas completed 18 years of professional soccer on Thursday and to celebrate it with his fans, the Spaniard had a Q&A session with them on Twitter.

"18 years ago today I made my debut as a professional football player. It still feels like it was yesterday that I was entering the very special Highbury for the first time. I don't know how the time has passed so fast but very blessed to have lived all this in this period of time," Fabregas tweeted, before making a special mention about Arsenal, where he kickstarted his senior career.

"Thank you, Arsenal for giving me the best opportunity of my life," added Fabregas, who made his first-team debut with Arsenal on Oct. 28, 2003, in a League Cup match.

Fabregas began his soccer career with Catalan club Mataro in 1995. He was signed by Barcelona's youth academy La Masia two years later. Having supported Barcelona since his childhood, Fabregas spent six years with them before making a switch. After realizing that he may not receive enough opportunities at Barcelona, Fabregas moved to the U.K. and joined Arsenal's youth set up.

The midfielder went on to make his senior debut with Arsenal during the 2003-04 campaign. He won the Premier League with the Emirates side in his maiden campaign but that turned out to be his only league title with the club.

After spending eight seasons with Arsenal, Fabregas returned to Barcelona, where he played for three campaigns, winning six trophies.

The Spanish midfielder returned to the Premier League in the summer of 2014 as he joined Chelsea. He was with the Stamford Bridge side for as many as five seasons, where he added another two English top-flight titles to his cabinet, apart from a League Cup and FA Cup trophy each.

The former Chelsea midfielder currently plays for Monaco in Ligue 1.

Conte has been in the limelight over the last week as he is being considered as one of the contenders to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United's head coach. Following the Red Devils' 5-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool FC last weekend, Solskjaer has been given a deadline of three games to save his job, starting with a trip to London on Saturday to face off against Tottenham in the Premier League.

They will then travel to Italy to take on Atalanta in the Champions League. The last of the three games is the biggest challenge as the Red Devils host derby rivals Manchester City in the league on Nov. 6.