Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas believes Mathieu Flamini is the best midfielder he has played alongside.

Despite sharing the pitch with a catalogue of world class team-mates during a glittering career at Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea, the Spain international believes Flamini's covering qualities are unparalleled.

Fabregas - who has featured alongside Xavi and Iniesta for both club and country - spent four seasons with Flamini at Emirates Stadium before the Frenchman moved to Milan in 2008.

Flamini was introduced for Fabregas in the closing stages of Arsenal's 2006 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona but the pair played together regularly in the final season of Flamini's first spell in north London.

PFA Team of the Year 2016 11 show all PFA Team of the Year 2016 1/11 GK: David De Gea (Manchester United) 2/11 RB: Hector Bellerin (Arsenal) 3/11 CB: Wes Morgan (Leicester City) 4/11 CB: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur) 5/11 LB: Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur) 6/11 RM: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City) AFP/Getty Images 7/11 CM: N'Golo Kante (Leicester City) 8/11 CM: Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur) 9/11 LM: Dimitri Payet (West Ham United) 10/11 ST: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) 11/11 ST: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) 1/11 GK: David De Gea (Manchester United) 2/11 RB: Hector Bellerin (Arsenal) 3/11 CB: Wes Morgan (Leicester City) 4/11 CB: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur) 5/11 LB: Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur) 6/11 RM: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City) AFP/Getty Images 7/11 CM: N'Golo Kante (Leicester City) 8/11 CM: Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur) 9/11 LM: Dimitri Payet (West Ham United) 10/11 ST: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) 11/11 ST: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)

"I had two years playing next to Flamini and he covered me," Fabregas told the Football Daily.

"He covers so much ground.

"If I say Iniesta or Xavi – yeah it’s fantastic for the eyes but in real football it’s not real for me.

"But if I had to choose one it would have to be between Gilberto Silva and Flamini."



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