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Interview : Eric Abidal

Casinoweb had the pleasure of interviewing a great football player with an exceptional career to date : Eric Abidal. Spotted in the Lyon-La Duchere club, Eric Abidal progressed with Monaco, Lille, Lyon before taking off for the prestigious Catalan club Barcelona FC. Holder of titles to take one’s breath away (Champions League, Spanish Championship, Copa del Rey, finalist in the 2006 World Cup), this exceptional player speaks to us of his beginnings in the world of football, his close relationship with Franck Ribery, his club Barcelona FC and also of poker and online games in France.

Casinoweb: Hello Eric Abidal. Tell us at what age you started to play football and if any players made you want to become a professional footballer.

Eric Abidal: I started football at the age of six. My father made me want to play football and my desire to be a professional footballer came later while growing up. I was inspired by Maradona, the leading footballer at the time. And also I played in the same position as him. My father liked this player and his technique.


Casinoweb: Contrary to most professional players, you didn’t come from a training centre. Just like Franck Ribery, you were spotted by a premier league club and you both have exemplary careers. Aren’t these two good stories which show the value of amateur football with two extraordinary internationals? Does the fact that you have a similar career to Ribery explain the close relationship you have with him?

Eric Abidal:Yes it’s sure that these are two good stories and it’s good for amateur football that there are different ways to arrive at the professional circuit and there is also a huge part of luck in all of that.

With Ribery, the fact that we are two internationals and that we are playing in great clubs is explained mostly by a lot of work because there are surely other amateur football players who could have reached the professional circuit but who didn’t make it due to a lack of work.

What made Franck and I close is firstly the fact that we had friends in common even though we didn’t know each other yet and also our wives are from the same place. The first time that we were both on the French Team we spoke about all that and we became very close.


Casinoweb:You are playing with Barcelona FC at present and you play in the position of left back. You are also on the French team in which you play in the centre. Is it easier to play in the centre than on the left? Is it easy to go from one position to the other?

Eric Abidal: No it’s not easier to play in the centre than on the left. It’s more important to be in a good position as regards tactics. It’s certain that every player has a preference: for me it’s in the centre. But when I arrived in Lyon I was directed more to the left side and this is what has allowed me to have this career.

To go from the centre to the left side isn’t complicated but it’s not easy either. One must respect the tactical choice and from there on usually it goes well.


Casinoweb: You are playing in the best team in Europe along side Messi, Ibrahimovic, Iniesta, Henry and many other talented players. How does the ex- Lyon- Duchere player that you used to be feel about playing in such a team admired all over the world?

Eric Abidal: It’s true that for me there is great pride in playing beside great players but I’m still the same player that I was at Lyon-Duchere, with the same values and the same way of life, the only change is the people I am around: I am alongside players who make many people dream and I am benefiting from it as much as possible because a footballer’s career is short and I’m already 30 years old, so I think I’m nearer the end than the beginning.

Casinoweb: With Barcelona FC you won the “Copa del Rey”, the Spanish championship and of course the “Champions League”. After such a triple success, what is your aim now?

Eric Abidal: I don’t have a personal aim football is a collective sport. I’m lucky to have won trophies as a group. It allows one write more on one’s CV and then at that level one always thinks of winning. I’m missing a few trophies from the list of prizes like the World Cup, but I’m conscious that a world cup is every four years and that one doesn’t always have the luck to qualify therefore I’m happy enough to have made a final and that “World Vice- Champion” is written on my CV.


Casinoweb: Real Madrid has made a “Dream Team” with the trio Ronaldo-Kaka- Benzema. What is the state of mind of the Barcelona FC facing this ferocious adversary which wants to take back its position as leader?

Eric Abidal: It’s true that Madrid has made a “Dream Team” for this season and if they’ve made those choices it’s that they needed to. In the Barcelona FC the state of mind is the same as always: play matches as they come along and to win the most possible. For the Classico it’s going to be interesting: they are special matches because the greatest Spanish clubs play and every season our two clubs play for the first two places. And having looked at the mercato this summer, Madrid needed more reinforcing than Barcelona.


Casinoweb: Do you intend to return one day to your home town which is Lyon and in which all your family lives? Or has Catalogne won over your heart on a professional level as well as personal?

Eric Abidal: Naturally, I think of returning to Lyon because I lived there for many years of my life, professional and private. I like Catalogne on a professional level and life is good here. At the end of my career it will be 50/50 between Barcelona and Lyon but my main home will be in Barcelona.


Casinoweb: A radical change of subject. Poker has become a very popular game in the world. Do you ever play games of poker with other players after matches?

Eric Abidal: No, I don’t play poker. For me it’s more dice games. Sometimes I watch tournaments on the television but no more than that: card games don’t really attract me, unfortunately.


Casinoweb: The world of online gaming is going to be legalised in France in a few months. In Spain, online gaming is completely legal. Bwin is sponsoring Real Madrid while the Olympique Lyonnais (OL) players can’t yet wear their jersey with the Betclic logo in France. Do you think that France is right to let sports lovers make sports forecasts on the internet?

Eric Abidal: I think it’s a good thing.  If people want to bet, it’s good that they can do it: it’s a challenge that anyone can take up, that is, to give results. I don’t know if it’s for the money or fun but on the whole, I think it’s a good idea to allow people the freedom to bet and make forecasts.


Casinoweb: Casinoweb.org’s traditional question. Do you have a scoop to share with our many readers?

Eric Abidal: No, I’ve no scoop to reveal but follow my news with Barcelona FC over the next few weeks.

Casinoweb: The Casinoweb.org team thanks you for agreeing to answer our questions.

Eric Abidal: Thanks to you.

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