Chelsea star Cesc Fabregas recounts his first experience with Barcelona's Lionel Messi

Chelsea midfielderx Cesc Fabregas has opened up on his first encounter against Argentine superstar, Lionel Messi.
Both players first met at Barcelona academy known as ‘La Masia’ as youngsters, before representing the Camp Nou outfit later in their senior career.
The former Arsenal captain disclosed that he was Messi’s opponent in that encounter, and that all his effort to mark him down proved difficult, as he saw where he was going with the ball, yet he fell to the ground after the fine-time ballon d’Or had dribbled him. Fabregas returned to Barca in 2011 after spending eight years without a league title at Arsenal, and then returned to the Premier League, this time with Chelsea in 2014.
“There's one story which stays with me, others I can't tell you', he told Spanish broadcasters TyC Sports.
“I had to defend against him and you know he's going to the left, and he does, but he still makes me fall to the floor.” Fabregas further explained that the 30-year-old is badly treated by his countrymen despite ignoring the Spanish national team choice to play for the Albiceleste.
He claimed Spain would have won more titles had Messi played for the La Furia Roja, but insisted that his former teammate was brave for committing his international future to his country.
The former Barcelona man revealed that he had to stay awake until three to watch Messi and Argentina beat Ecuador to secure their passage to the 2018 World Cup.
Fabregas added: 'It would have been phenomenal if Leo had played for Spain, we would have won more titles, but he always felt very Argentina and I think it was the perfect decision to play for his country.'
"When everyone lauds him for what he does, it doesn't seem normal to me that in [Argentina] they criticise him so much. I can't understand it because it's where he should be valued the most."
After Fabregas left Barca at at the age of 15 to move to Arsenal, he and Messi did not play together until he moved back to the Nou Camp in 2011.
Cesc made his national team debut in 2006, and he has gone ahead to win one World Cup and two UEFA European Championship titles.
He also grew from the ranks by representing his country at the U16 through to the U21 levels before finally being called up by Vicente del Bosque.