Eric Abidal had a major role in the signing of Frenkie de Jong to FC Barcelona. While in 2019, the Dutch midfielder was very close to signing for Paris Saint-Germain, a discussion with the former French defender changed everything. Sports director of FC Barcelona at the time, Abidal was able to find the words to convince the man who played at Ajax to join Barça.
“I knew he had an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain (…) His dream was to play for Barça. But he tells me, there you go, I haven’t had a discussion with the Barça coach. He told me that he made his decision to come to PSG after a discussion with Tuchel. I told him that at Barça it’s the institution that signs you, not the coach”the former Monegasque then explained. The rest, we know, Frenkie de Jong will refuse to be sent to Paris and will sign with FC Barcelona for 75 million euros.