I used to actively avoid Thierry Henry - I'd check he wasn't around before leaving room

Cesc Fabregas and Thierry Henry's career paths have crossed at more than just Arsenal, with the former valuing the relationship they've built albeit at one stage avoiding him

Cesc Fabregas has humorously admitted to dodging former Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry during his time under his management at Monaco.

The Spanish midfielder, who joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old prodigy during the Invincibles season, enjoyed a successful spell alongside Henry, clinching an FA Cup with the Gunners and reaching the Champions League final before the Frenchman's departure to Barcelona in 2007.

Fabregas, who also made a return to the Catalan giants later in his career, has always spoken highly of Henry's influence, feeling "unbeatable" when playing alongside the French striker, likening his effect on the team to that of Lionel Messi.

Their paths crossed again when Henry, during his short tenure as Monaco's head coach, signed Fabregas in January 2019, leading to them staying at the same hotel. In a light-hearted moment on The Rest Is Football podcast, Fabregas recalled how he would try to evade lengthy football chats with Henry, known for his passion for the game.

"He signed me for Monaco. Only for three weeks we were together [before Henry was sacked]," he explained. "I remember we were sharing the same hotel because he had just arrived, two or three months before, while I was looking for a house.

"He was always in the hallway having a coffee or tea. I would go to see a friend, see my family, to go out to dinner. Every time, he would catch me and say, 'You have two minutes?' and it ended up being like three hours!

READ MORE: I'm an Arsenal legend – I still wake up over chance I missed in Champions League

READ MORE: I wanted to quit Arsenal after three months – I told my agent I needed to leave

"So when I was leaving the hotel sometimes, I was looking from the elevator to see if he was around [to avoid him], otherwise I was not going to get to where I wanted to go."

Their careers have led back to each other again, with Fabregas in charge of Serie A Como where Henry is an investor. He values their relationship both on and off the pitch, adding: "Thierry, together with Lionel Messi, are the two players I felt much stronger when I was on the football pitch.

"It might not be your day, you might not be playing well, but you always have Thierry Henry there to save the day. There were games in the later part of my career, the last eight to 10 years, where I didn't feel any game was easy.

"With Thierry, we were playing Everton at home. We were in the tunnel at Highbury, stepping onto the pitch. It's difficult to explain because I don't want to sound weird or arrogant but I just knew were going to win.

"That was the power of Thierry and I only felt it with him and Leo. He helped me so much in my career, going back to when I was a young player."

Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel

Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!

By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.

To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!

If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.