Barcelona Have Released Éric Abidal

Barcelona have announced that they are not going to renew Éric Abidal's contract when it runs out this summer. Abidal has been at Barcelona since 2007, in which time he has won four Spanish league titles and two European Cups. His success on the pitch for Barcelona though was juxtaposed with a long battle with cancer and Abidal had to take two breaks from the game in order to have surgery to remove a tumour from his liver and in the the season just past to undergo a full liver transplant.

Abidal revealed that he had wished to continue playing for Barcelona but the club were only willing to offer him a non-playing role. "I would have liked to keep on playing here, but the club sees it differently and I have to respect that...I am going but I am sure that I will be back. I have a very interesting offer from the club that I will have to think about."

Barcelona president Sandro Rossell explained "Abidal has been at Barcelona for six years and he's part of our history. This is not a goodbye. The doors will always be open for Eric. When Eric retires, he will become the director of Barcelona's schools around the world."

H/T goal.com