Eric Abidal: “A Catalan’s heart is Catalan, not Spanish”

Eric Abidal (Lyon, 1979) is a much respected international soccer player. The winger has shined as a world runner-up with the French selection in 2006. Talking about clubs, he has a vast curriculum vitae. Amongst his titles he counts three times the French League playing with the Olimpique de Lyon, the French Super Cup playing with the Monaco and three Spanish Leagues with the F.C. Barcelona. With this last club he won two Champions League, two UEFA Super Cups and two Club World Cup Championships.

Abidal was detected a liver tumour on March 2011, finally having its transplant one year after the detection. The French player adaptation to Catalonia has been very confortable and he’s taking Catalan language classes, amongst other things. A few years ago, in an interview, he responded very clearly to the everlasting dilemma about Catalonia and Spain: “What’s true is that a Catalan’s heart is Catalan, not Spanish. According to my conversations with my neighbours, they have this mentality. I could see it above everything last year when we won the Cup. Is the Spanish Cup. So when Catalonia wins it, the people’s feelings are different. The Club doesn’t teach you that, but you can see it”.