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Fabian O’Neill, former Uruguayan international midfielder, has passed away.
Fabian O’Neill, a former Uruguayan international midfielder whom Zinedine Zidane referred to as “the most talented player” he had ever seen, died on Sunday after a long battle with alcoholism. He was 49 years old.
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After O’Neill died of severe cirrhosis at a Montevideo hospital where he had been taken on Saturday due to bleeding, his former club Nacional tweeted,
“Goodbye wizard.”
We regret to report the passing of Fabian O’Neill.
Emerged in the inexhaustible quarry and Uruguayan champion with our shirt.Advertisement
Today all Nacional is in mourning. To his family and friends, our sincere condolences.
Goodbye Wizard! pic.twitter.com/vlbFbpDn5O
– National (@National) December 25, 2022
The Uruguayan soccer federation also shared the devastating news on Twitter.
We regret with deep sadness and shock the death of the former player of the Uruguayan National Team, Fabián O’Neill.
Our condolences to your family and friends.
RIP pic.twitter.com/KoQqfBBAUG
— AUF (@AUFOficial) December 25, 2022
Fabian O’Neill’s cause of death was chronic liver disease.
O’Neill was admitted to the hospital in June 2020 with cirrhosis. He was told that if he didn’t drink for a year, he could receive a liver transplant and live a long time.
O’Neill passed away on December 25, 2022 at a Montevideo hospital, where he had been receiving intensive care due to bleeding from a chronic liver condition.
Club Atlético Peñarol regrets the death of Fabián O’Neill. We accompany family and friends in this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/oE9F0TlATC
— PEÑAROL (@OficialCAP) December 25, 2022
The cause of Fabian O’Neill’s death has left the community heartbroken.
Who was Fabian O’Neill?
Fabián Alberto O’Neill Domínguez was a Uruguayan professional soccer player who played as a midfielder.
Between 1992 and 1995, O’Neill played for Nacional’s first team in the Uruguayan Primera División. This was the beginning of his professional career.
Fabian O’Neill’s career
At the age of 18, his team won the league during his rookie season. He joined Serie A team Cagliari in 1996 and then moved to Italy. He was one of the many Uruguayans who signed with the team through agent Paco Casal.
The team was relegated to Serie B in 1997, but was then promoted once more in 1998. Gennaro Gattuso was the target of three nutmegs from him in 1999 during a match against Salernitana.
Fabian O’Neill club career
O’Neill was transferred to Juventus for a cost of 20 billion lire (10 million euros) when Cagliari was demoted yet again in 2000. He moved to Perugia in January 2002 as part of the Davide Baiocco trade to the Juventus.
His contract expired in the summer to return to Cagliari, who currently play in Serie B, although he did not play during his brief tenure. O’Neill acknowledged fixing two Serie A games in 2012 to win bets.
O’Neill returned to National in January 2003, although he only played in five games.
Due to the repercussions of his drunkenness, he retired that same year at the age of 29 and returned to his cattle ranch.
Subsequently, he managed and played semi-professional soccer in the lower divisions of Uruguay.
How good Fabian O’Neill was. Cult player. D.E.P pic.twitter.com/bsExvKcKP9
— Toni Padilla (@Toni_Padilla) December 25, 2022
Fabian O’Neill’s international career
19 games were played by O’Neill for Uruguay. On June 16, 1993, he participated in his debut for the national team, a 1-0 victory over the United States in a group stage match of the Copa América.
With seven minutes to go, he replaced Adrián Paz as a substitute, however, due to an injury, he was unable to continue in the competition.
His nineteenth and final cap came against China in Shenyang in May 2002.
In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he was a member of the Uruguayan team but did not participate.
In Fabian O’Neill’s record ??
— Juventus FC (@juventusfc) December 25, 2022
Autobiography of Fabian O’Neill
O’Neill published his autobiography, Until the Last Drop, in 2013. (Until the Last Drop). After having his gallbladder removed in June 2016, he was told to stop drinking for three years, but started again a month later.
“When I played soccer I got to have 15 million dollars in the bank, I spent it on women and alcohol, but I also filled the table with food for people who needed it, today that I am poor, I run into those people. who help and don’t even greet me.”
He claimed in February 2017 that he spent $14 million of his wealth on “slow horses, fast women and gambling,” but did not regret going broke. He said in his autobiography that he once visited a cattle auction while intoxicated and spent $250,000 on 1,104 cows.
Fabian O’Neill Net Worth
Fabian O’Neill has an estimated net worth of $5 million US dollars as of December 2022.
