Eric Abidal facts for kids
Abidal training with Barcelona in 2008
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Eric Sylvain Abidal | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 11 September 1979 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Saint-Genis-Laval, France | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Left-back, centre-back | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| Lyon Duchère | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1996–2000 | Lyon Duchère | |||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Monaco B | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Monaco | 22 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Lille | 62 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Lyon | 76 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2013 | Barcelona | 125 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Monaco | 26 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2014 | Olympiacos | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 328 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2013 | France | 67 | (0) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Eric Sylvain Abidal (born September 11, 1979) is a French former professional footballer. He played as a left-back or centre-back (defender).
He is best known for his time with Lyon in France and Barcelona in Spain. With these two teams, he won a total of 18 trophies. This included two Champions League titles with Barcelona. Later in his career, he faced a serious health challenge: a tumour in his liver. This led to a liver transplant.
Abidal played for the French national team for nine years. He represented France in two World Cups. In 2006, his team finished second. He also played in Euro 2008.
Contents
Club Career
Starting Out
Eric Abidal was born in Saint-Genis-Laval, near Lyon, France. He began his football journey with AS Lyon Duchère, an amateur team. He started his professional career with AS Monaco FC. His first top-league game was on September 16, 2000. He played in 22 league matches over two seasons for Monaco.
After Monaco, Abidal moved to Lille OSC for the 2002–03 season. There, he rejoined his old coach, Claude Puel. He became a key player during his time at Lille. Later, he returned to his home region to play for Olympique Lyonnais.
Playing for Lyon
While playing in France, Abidal helped Lyon win three national championships in a row. Lyon won seven titles in total during that period. Abidal was known for his strong defense. He once said his goal was to make opponents so frustrated they would want to move away from him on the field. He played alongside other great defenders like François Clerc and Cris.
On November 10, 2004, Abidal scored his first career goal. It was in a game against his former club, Lille. After this goal, his parents, who had been together for 35 years, decided to get married.
Abidal missed the start of the 2005–06 season. He broke a bone in his foot during a friendly game. Still, he played in 15 matches that season. Lyon won its fifth national championship in a row that year.
Joining Barcelona
On June 29, 2007, Abidal signed a four-year contract with FC Barcelona. He cost €9 million. He was given the number 22 jersey. Barcelona's president, Joan Laporta, said Abidal's contract included a €90 million release clause. This meant other clubs would have to pay a lot to buy him.
Abidal played his first La Liga game on August 26, 2007. It was a 0–0 draw against Racing de Santander. In his first season, he played 30 games. Barcelona finished third in the league that year.
He missed the 2009 Champions League Final due to a red card. He also missed the Copa del Rey final due to suspension. Barcelona won all three major trophies that season, achieving a "treble."
In the 2009–10 season, Abidal continued to be a starting player for Barcelona. He scored his first goal for Barcelona on January 5, 2011. It was in a Spanish Cup game against Athletic Bilbao.
On January 18, 2012, Abidal scored his second goal for Barcelona. This was also in the domestic cup. He helped Barcelona win 2–1 against Real Madrid. He extended his contract until June 30, 2013. However, on May 30, 2013, Barcelona announced they would not extend his contract further.
Health Challenges
On March 15, 2011, Barcelona announced that Abidal had a tumour in his liver. He had surgery two days later. The club kept his health details private, as he wished. Players and fans worldwide sent him messages of support.
Before a Champions League match, players from Real Madrid and Lyon wore "Ánimo Abidal" (Get Well Abidal) T-shirts. Fans at Barcelona's stadium clapped for the entire 22nd minute during a game. This was a tribute to his jersey number. On May 28, 2011, Abidal played the full game in the Champions League Final. Barcelona won 3–1. His teammate Carles Puyol let Abidal be the first to lift the trophy. This was a special moment to celebrate his recovery.
On March 15, 2012, it was announced that Abidal needed a liver transplant. This was because of ongoing problems from his first surgery. On April 10, he had the transplant. His cousin, Gérard, was the donor. Abidal later shared that his friend and teammate Dani Alves offered to donate part of his liver. Abidal declined, as he didn't want to affect Dani Alves's career.
Abidal left the hospital on May 21, 2012. He started training again in October 2012. By January 2013, he was back in active training. On April 6, he returned to official games. He played for 20 minutes in a 5–0 win against RCD Mallorca. Two weeks later, he played a full 90 minutes for the first time since his return.
Return to Monaco
On July 8, 2013, Abidal, then 33, returned to Monaco. He signed a one-year contract. He helped Monaco qualify for the Champions League. He then extended his contract for another year.
Playing for Olympiacos
On July 5, 2014, Abidal signed a two-year contract with Olympiacos FC in Greece. However, on December 19, he decided to retire from football for personal reasons.
Return to Barcelona (as Director)
Abidal returned to Barcelona in June 2018. He became the club's director of football. He was in this role until August 18, 2020. He left after Barcelona's big 8–2 defeat against FC Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
International Career
Abidal played 67 games for the French national team. His first game was on August 18, 2004. He was chosen for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played in almost every minute of France's journey to the final. In the final against Italy, he even scored his penalty kick in the shootout.
He was also a key player during the Euro 2008 qualifying games. In the main tournament, he played as a centre-back against Italy. He was sent off in that game, and France was eliminated early. He also played in the 2010 World Cup. France again left the competition after only three matches.
Style of Play
Eric Abidal was a smart and flexible defender. He could play as a central defender or on the left side. He was good at understanding the game and knowing where to be. In his best years, he was also fast and strong. He could help his team both in defense and by moving forward to support attacks.
Personal Life
Abidal grew up in a Catholic family. He later converted to Islam in his 20s. He married Hayet Kebir, a former gymnast, in 2003. They have five children: Méliana, Canélia, Leyna, Kenya, and Edan.
Honours
Lyon
- Ligue 1: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07
- Trophée des Champions: 2004
Barcelona
- La Liga: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13
- Copa del Rey: 2008–09, 2011–12
- Supercopa de España: 2009, 2010, 2011
- UEFA Champions League: 2008–09, 2010–11
- UEFA Super Cup: 2009, 2011
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011
Olympiacos
- Super League Greece: 2014–15
France
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2006
Individual
- Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2005, 2006, 2007
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2007
- LFP Defender of the Year: 2011
- FC Barcelona Player of the Season (Trofeo Aldo Rovira): 2012
- Globe Soccer Awards: Player Career Award 2012
- Premio internazionale Giacinto Facchetti: 2013
See also
In Spanish: Éric Abidal para niños
