Fabregas’ game: “I always try to find balance between myself and the team”

Ask Ludovic Fabregas three words to describe himself as a player, and you will obtain an answer as thoughtful as you would have expected: “observant”, “hard-working” and “listening”.

Looking on from the outside, Fabregas seems like the kind of player who is leads by example, not through words. His habit of being soft-spoken and sometimes even in the background dates back to when he started handball.

“I was a lot shyer when I was in Montpellier because I did not know much about handball. So I listened to what the others would say, I would try to develop by working as hard as I could, trying to narrow the gap that I felt there existed with the other players,” remembers the 28-year-old.

But as he moved to Barça, then Veszprém, as well as climbing up the hierarchy in the France national team, Fabregas opened up a little bit.

“I think the turning point was when there was a generational change in Barça in 2021. Raul Entrerrios retired, Cédric Sorhaindo and Victor Tómas as well, and Xavi Pascual, the coach, told me that I would have more responsibilities. That was the turning point for me,” he adds.

But now that he is the French captain as well as one of the main assets in Veszprém’s squad, does he feel like he is forcing his nature a little bit?

“Forcing myself is not the right word. There was this will, on my side, to be a bit more of an actor in my teams than I used to be,” he says, before adding: “With time, I know myself better and know my teammates better as well, and I know exactly what I can bring to the table.”

Fabregas is comfortable in taking a step back and letting others speak first.

“I really try to find the key moments to speak up. If one of the leaders in the teams speaks and says something that makes sense, then I don’t add anything. I am not the one who will open his mouth just for the sake of doing it.

“I would rather be the one who speaks last than the one who speaks first. There are always some emotions in heated moments, and that often leads to the lack of lucidity,” he explains. “I am completely on the other end of this. I am calm, I analyse things a lot and if I speak, it’s because I know I have something important to say.”

No wonder, for such a team-centred player, that the three-time EHF Champions League winner will say that a good defensive action will be his favourite on the court.

“Because it is a team effort, because the whole defensive system has been able to outplay the opponent. You need good coordination between all the players to be able to recover the ball,” he says. “Defence is rarely about just one player making a good move.”

But then, it is not always easy to exist for yourself when you think about the team so much.

“I sometimes played games and when I went out of the court, I found out my teammates had been enjoying it much more than I did. I always try to find the right balance between myself and the team, but I got better at it with experience,” he says.

And while Fabregas might have struggled a little bit to find his place in a team at the beginning of his career, his self-confidence has developed and he now does not think about such questions.

“I am able to estimate my importance in a team. I know what I am capable of, I know what I have to do to play my best handball, and when I do, my teammates are also in the best position to express themselves.”

However, Fabregas can be tough on himself and is not always happy with his performance.

“I know I can deliver good games, but I struggle to admit I can be very good,” he laughs, seeming to ignore his importance within the teams he plays for. “I am not too kind with myself, so I will often focus on what I missed rather than what I did well.”

But as the trophies have piled up, the former mountain bike champion has learnt not to focus so much on himself.

“The team result has always been the most important thing for me. I mean, I can play terribly, but if we win, that will soften the blow. On the other hand, I can be very tough with myself when we lose,” he admits.

With already one Olympic title and one world medal with France, as well as three EHF Champions League gold medals with Montpellier and Barça, Fabregas has not had to be so harsh with himself lately. Even more importantly, he has been able to be decisive in the many finals that he has played over the years.

“These moments have always been about how I feel in the moment for me. Sometimes, I will do something no-one expects, like going out high on a opponent when I defend, because I feel very confident and I think this action can help the team,” he says.

“On the other hand, sometimes I will really rely on something I know and feel confident in, because the game has been a bit tougher for me and I need reassuring.”

Nowadays, Fabregas is confident in his leadership skills and knows when to step up and when to sit back.

“I am really content remaining in my own corner if the other leaders in the team do the job perfectly. If I need to say something in the locker room or on the court, I will, 100 per cent. But if the team’s balance requires me to remain silent or to sit on the bench, I have to absolutely comply with that. The team matters most, not me.”

Photos © Roland Peka, Xavi Vegas, Kolektiff Images