Cesc leaves Monaco: I’m leaving, it’s been the worst year of my life

has revealed that he will leave

at the end of the season when his contract ends, but the midfielder has no plans to retire just yet.

Injury has plagued former

and

Barcelona

star Fabregas during the 2021-22 season, in which Monaco is three points behind second-placed

Marseille

with two games remaining. In his first three seasons with Monaco, the Spain international signed on a free transfer and averaged over 800 Ligue 1 minutes per season.

However, he has only played 36 minutes in the league twice this season, and Fabregas has stated that this will be his final season with Monaco. "It's definitely over between Monaco and me," Fabregas told

So Foot in France

. "My contract is up in June, and I'm seeking for a new opportunity. My mind needs to start over somewhere else.

"It's been the worst year of my career, as well as my life, because I'm not happy in football, and I'm not happy in life. This year, I went through a lot of emotional turmoil. All you have to do now is stay strong. However, things do happen for a reason. I'm glad it happened at 35 instead of 25 when I was at the pinnacle of my career.

"It could have been worse if you look at it that way – 19 years, almost 900 games, almost everything won." Fabregas, a two-time European Championship winner and World Cup winner, may be expected to move into a coaching role to capitalize on his experience, but he insists on continuing to play.

"To be honest, in the last two weeks, I've already received two or three phone calls from some of my former coaches, asking what I wanted to do and if I wanted to join them as a coach this summer," he added.

"But this year has been so bad that I can't finish on that. Not after building this career. I want to keep playing. I'm grateful for the career I've had, but I don't feel like it's over. I just want to enjoy my football and continue to be competitive at some level."

As for the identity of Fabregas' next club, he has no preference as long as he can rediscover his enjoyment of football. "I'm open to anything, I just want to have fun," he said when asked about potential clubs, leagues or countries. "After this year, I just want to play and enjoy my football.

"The place doesn't really matter, it's more my head that counts. When I'm fit I feel really good, when I'm training with my team-mates I don't feel any different when it comes to passion for the game. It's just about finding the right project and doing it. I will look for a new project and see where the future takes me."

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