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A few weeks ago, Barcelona defender from France Eric Abidal, who returned to professional football after a liver transplant operation, announced at a press conference on Thursday that he is leaving the Catalan team.
"Today is a difficult day for me. I have played in this team for six years and I have had the best experience of my life. I had two goals - to fight for my health so I could see my daughters again and return to the field. It would be nice to stay, but I have to accept the club's decision. I am leaving, but I will definitely come back - thank you all," said the favorite of Barcelona fans with tears in his eyes.
The Catalan football club decided not to renew the contract with the 33-year-old Frenchman, so the defender will leave to play for another club. It is rumored that E. Abidal is being sought after by several teams in lower leagues.
"We don't say goodbye to him. We say see you later - we will meet again whenever you want. Once Eric decides to stop playing football, he will always be welcome at Barcelona, where there will always be work for him.
Eric Abidal's career at Barcelona
E. Abidal moved to Barcelona from Lyon's Olympique team in 2007 and won three trophies in his second season at the Catalan club - the Spanish Cup and championship, as well as the UEFA Champions League.
The Frenchman became an integral player in Barca's starting lineup until in March 2011 the club's leaders announced that he had been diagnosed with liver cancer. However, E. Abidal quickly recovered and returned to the field in May of the same year in the Champions League final match against Manchester United.
After the match, Barca captain Carles Puyol, heading towards the trophy, tied the captain's armband to the Frenchman - which meant that the legionnaire in the Catalan club would be the first to lift the Champions League trophy.
However, the joy did not last long. Last year, a recurrent tumor was found in the Frenchman's liver, and it was reported that the footballer needed a liver transplant. E. Abidal received a liver donation from his half-brother, so he did not have to wait long and the operation was performed in April - it was successful and the defender began a long and exhausting rehabilitation process.
Abidal's illness united the football world - players from various teams often took the field with shirts saying "Anims Abidal" (strength; health Abidal). This was also done by Barcelona's biggest rivals, Real Madrid.
The Frenchman returned to the field on April 6th in a "Primera" league match against Mallorca at Camp Nou stadium, where he was greeted by the audience with loud applause. Two weeks later, the Frenchman started a match against Levante in Valencia as part of the starting lineup.
