Former Barcelona star takes to social media to deny own death | OneFootball

Former Barcelona and France defender Eric Abidal this week denied his own death on social media, in a bizarre story. The 46-year-old was subject to a series of pernicious rumours over the weekend, but is very much alive.

Over the course of the weekend, a flood of messages of condolences reached Abidal, following the rumour that he had passed away, as reported by Radio Catalunya. Speculation on social media claimed that he had passed away after complications during surgery, due to a second liver transplant.

Abidal comes out to deny social media rumours

However it was Abidal who came out to declare this fake news, explaining that it was not the case on his Instagram story.

“Some rumours should never exist. I’m here with my family and everything is fine. Respect is key.”

Image via IG / Eric Abidal

“Just to clarify – I’m fine, I’m alive and healthy. Thank you for your support. Let’s focus on what really matters. Thank you for your messages of concern.”

Abidal’s battle with cancer

Abidal did undergo a liver transplant in 2012, after being diagnosed with liver cancer in 2011 while playing for Barcelona. The former France international has since been cancer-free though as far as is known, and has not had any further operations as a result. Abidal recovered that same season to appear in the Champions League final during a 3-1 victory over Manchester United at Wembley, in which captain Carles Puyol handed him the armband and the chance to lift the trophy after his recovery.

Post-playing career

After continuing his career at AS Monaco and then Olympiakos, Abidal retired in 2014. He became first an ambassador at Barcelona, and then Sporting Director between 2018 and 2020, after which he was sacked. He did not take on another role until March of this year, when he became Sporting Director at Al-Wasl in the United Arab Emirates. It is not the first time that Abidal has been involved in unsavoury rumours though.