Flashscore: Did the failure of the Olympic Games in 2024 affect your performance last year at the World Championships? (France lost in Zagreb against Croatia in the semi-final)
Fabregas: "Playing Croatia in Croatia isn't easy because there's a special atmosphere. Even though we know each other, we're still a team in the making. When you're going through a difficult time, you don't really know how to react. We had a good reaction, but it wasn't enough to get back on track. That's part of what we have to go through.
"The Olympic Games were a failure. You have to deal with it. We were the first to be disappointed at the Olympics. We have to stop dwelling on it because then you eat your brain. If we dwell on the bad times, if we're negative, we don't encourage other people to follow us. I've turned the page, but I don't want to go through that kind of failure again. You have to keep that moment in mind and tell yourself that you're not going to go through it again. We were prepared to pay for a defeat like that in January 2025 to tell ourselves that we have to improve and move forward."
Flashscore: Has being captain changed your responsibilities?
Fabregas: "You're more exposed all of a sudden. You have more exchanges with the staff and the federation. As soon as there's something to pass on, you go through your captain. I have been involved in a lot of things. With the failure to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games 2024, there was all this internal and media pressure that we had to deal with. I think we responded by winning a bronze medal at the last World Championship."
Flashscore: As for EURO 2026, what will make the difference?
Fabregas: I never play a competition before I'm there (laughs). I often take a very short-term view. When you're preparing for the tournament, you're already thinking that it's going to come thick and fast, that you're going to have to be there physically from the very first night. Preparation is going to be short, so you have to make the most of it. We know what we need to work on. I hope we'll arrive ready and that we'll be able to raise our game as we go along. First of all, the group stage is not easy. Then there's the potential crossover for the main round. It's very tough. It will be difficult to reach the last four.
Flashscore: Both with the national team and at the club level, you have rubbed shoulders with some great and charismatic players. As a captain, who have you drawn inspiration from?
Fabregas: "When you're a child, you always have one or two idols. I used to watch Didier Dinart a lot. I'm trying to draw more and more inspiration from players who are different from me because handball is changing fast. You have to bring something new to the table. The more complete you are, the more useful you are to the team. Sometimes I look at line players and the way they take up space and move around. Not because I want to play that position (laughs), but because it can help me develop both technically and tactically, but also in terms of the way they behave out on the pitch."
Flashscore: Since the end of the 2024 Olympics, France seems to have completed a shift in generations and grown in strength.
Fabregas: "If you look at our record over the last few years, there have been failures, but we very often finish in the last four of major competitions. Since the generational change, we've only lost one match (the semi-final against Croatia at the 2025 World Cup, editor's note). From memory, we must have won 16 or 17 of our 18 matches. We don't necessarily have players who have had as strong an image as Niko Karabatic, Thierry Omeyer, or Daniel Narcisse, but we are a much deeper collective, a more formidable team with more homogeneous qualities while still having variety, and I think that's a real strength."
Flashscore: France started from nothing in the 80s and over the last 35 years has turned into one of the best teams in the world
Fabregas: "It's like in life, when you get used to eating well... (laughs). I've always remembered Claude Onesta 's words (legend goalkeeper): "In the old days, when a young player joined the French team, he wondered if he was going to win. Now, when a player joins, he doesn't wonder if he's going to win, but when he's going to win". When I joined Les Bleus, I said to myself, 'Wow, I can win a World Championship, the Euros, the Olympics,' and I was lucky enough to do it. The young players who are arriving now are saying the same thing."
Flashscore: If we focus on your club career, how is your 2025/26 season going with Barcelona?
Fabregas: "It's going really well. I'm really happy, as a team, with the games we've played, the results we've had, the titles we've won this season... It's been great. We were able to win the Super Globe, the Club World Cup, which is a competition that had eluded us for a while. That gave us a lot of confidence, and after that, we were able to improve our game and keep our unbeaten run in that competition right up to the present day. It bodes well for the future."
Flashscore: Compared to the French domestic league, the Spanish league doesn't seem as strong, would you agree?
Fabregas: "Physically, it's true that there's a gap. But tactically, it's very, very strong. All the teams are playing very well. We give 100% in every match. We're also very focused because the pressure's on. The slightest slip-up or hiccup is almost a failure here. Winning at Barça is not enough; you also have to play very well."
Flashscore: The only thing missing is Real Madrid!
Fabregas: "(Laughs) The league needs to grow in stature and reputation, as it deserves to. It's really interesting. Real Madrid would be a special opponent. We've already had Atlético (from 1949 to 1994 and again from 2011 to 2013, editor's note), but the idea is for Barça to remain masters of Spain for a very long time."
Flashscore: How would you evaluate your campaign in the Champions League this season so far?
Fabregas: "The groups are tough, but it's still the Champions League. The level is very high. All the matches are really tough. The demands are always there. We're Barça, so we have to play for the title every year. It's not an easy task. We're really happy with the results so far. We only suffered a defeat against Magdeburg (31-30), but that allowed us to grow and focus on the little details that make all the difference. We're going to have to step it up a notch after the Euros and try to reach the Final Four in Cologne, which is our first objective. Once we get there, anything is possible."
Flashscore: What motivated you to leave a club like Barça and then return?
Fabregas: "It's not easy to come back. For me, it was a source of pride. The club doesn't often give you that opportunity. I was able to regain the confidence of my partners, the coach, the staff, the directors, and the chairman. It's not easy at a club like this. I give my all, and I repay that trust with good performances. But that's not enough. You have to offer more."
Flashscore: After two years at Veszprém, was it Barça or nothing?
Fabregas: "I had the option of staying on at Veszprém. There were also talks with Montpellier. But the decision was made quickly. Barça is Barça. It's a very special club. With all due respect to the other clubs I've played for, Barça is my club. I've been immersed in it since I was a little boy, especially through my grandmother, who followed football. It's really been my whole life. My grandmother wanted me to speak Catalan better than French (laughs). Now I'm making the effort here too. It shows you want to integrate into the culture. My wife is Catalan, and my son was born in Barcelona. For me, it's logical and respectful."
Flashscore: If there had been a Catalan national team, would you have played in it then?
Fabregas: "I'm French, and I'm also proud to be able to wear the jersey that I've dreamt of since I was very young. When you see the older players, 'all those titles won, it's also something you have in your head when you're a kid. You want to reach the highest level. Today, I'm also proud to play for France and to be their captain."