O’Neill Dies at 49; Ex-Uruguayan Zidane Praised Him

Last Updated on 12/26/2022 by てんしょく飯

Fabian O’Neill, the former Uruguayan national soccer player whom Zinedine Zidane described as “the most talented player of his generation,” died on December 25 at the age of 49 after a long battle with alcoholism.

He was rushed to the hospital but did not return due to cirrhosis of the liver.

O’Neill was rushed to a hospital in Montevideo on December 24 after suffering a hemorrhage, but he did not return home due to cirrhosis of the liver. Nacional Montevideo, the Uruguayan first division club where O’Neill built the foundation of his career, posted the message “Farewell, Wizard” on Twitter.

O’Neill was a promising player who Zidane, a teammate of O’Neill’s at Juventus in the Italian Serie A, described as “the most talented player I have ever seen.

He made his debut for Nacional in 1992, when he was 18, and three years later moved to Cagliari in Serie A. In 2000, he stepped up to Juventus, but was released by Perugia after only one season with the northern giants. He then returned to his old club, Nacional, where he retired in 2003.

He played 19 games for the Uruguayan national team, scoring two goals, and was selected for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, but due to injury he never played a game, and the team was eliminated from the group phase.

The Uruguayan newspaper Pais wrote: “The Uruguayan soccer world is in mourning. One of the best players to emerge in decades, a man who knew how to let his talent and magic shine on the pitch, has left us,” reported Pais. On the other hand, the Observador said, “Fabian O’Neill is one of those players who squandered a great talent. His career was characterized by alcohol and inactivity”.