Éric Sylvain Abidal is a French retired professional footballer who played as a left back or a central defender & was born to Martiniquan parents. In his career, he played mainly for Lyon and Barcelona, winning 18 titles with both teams combined including two Champions League trophies with the latter. His later career was marked by liver disease, resulting in a transplant. A French international across nine years, Abidal represented the nation in two World Cups – finishing second in 2006 – and Euro 2008. Born in Saint-Genis-Laval, Metropolis of Lyon, Abidal started playing with AS Lyon Duchère, an amateur team in the suburbs. He started his professional career with AS Monaco FC, making his Ligue 1 debut on 16 September 2000 in a 3–0 home win against Toulouse FC but only appearing in 22 league matches over the course of two full seasons. Abidal transferred to fellow league club Lille OSC for 2002–03, reuniting with former manager Claude Puel, and being first-choice during his spell. Subsequently, he returned to his native region and joined Olympique Lyonnais. Abidal was a tactically intelligent and versatile defender, capable of featuring as a centre or left back due to his positional sense and his ability to read the game. In his prime, he was also quick and strong which, along with his technical ability and distribution, allowed him run up the wing to assist his team offensively as well as defensively. @22abidal #EricAbidal #islandpeeps #soccer #futball #Martinique (at Martinique)
