Eric Abidal's importance at FC Barcelona transcends the playing field. The former left-back of the Barça team in the two Champions Leagues won under Pep Guardiola also served as the club's sporting director between 2018 and 2021, a position in which he played a fundamental role in the signing of Frenkie de Jong. He made this known in an interview with 'Free Foot', where he also spoke of names such as Lamine Yamal or Koundé.
The Dutch midfielder had everything done with Paris Saint-Germain, but the French executive managed to convince him to leave them to join the Barça squad. "He told me, 'look, I haven't spoken to the Barça coach. That's why I made the decision to go to PSG, because I've spoken to Tuchel,'" the former footballer began explaining.
"I simply told him: 'At Barça, it is the institution that signs you, not the coach. And the second thing, with the total price of the transfer, you will be an undisputed starter,'" he added, thus revealing the reason that led Frenkie to sign for Barça.
The present of Lamine Yamal, Koundé and the impact of Gavi
On the other hand, Abidal joined the list of admirers of Lamine Yamal by stating that "he has become the player that everyone knows, but for me what is surprising is knowing that at La Masia there are players like him who leave from one day to the next and that makes me think of an interview with Mbappé who said: 'don't talk to me about age' and I think he was right. The level is what makes the difference. And, if he has the level that we are seeing on the field of play, age matters little."
Finally, he praised Jules Koundé's excellent start to the season, stating that "I think he is showing his class in La Liga. He is a versatile player and I know that Barça are very satisfied with him; he is a player who brings a lot of balance."