Former Uruguayan player Fabián O'Neill dies at 49

   MADRID, 26 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The former Uruguayan player Fabián O'Neill, who went through Italian teams such as Cagliari, Perugia and Juventus, died this Sunday at the age of 49, as confirmed by the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF).

"We regret with deep sadness and shock the death of the former player of the Uruguayan National Team, Fabián O'Neill. Our condolences to his family and friends," the AUF wrote in a message on their social networks.

O'Neill had been treated for chronic liver cirrhosis at the Médica Uruguaya hospital, according to the Uruguayan newspaper El País. The ex-soccer player would have already gone to the medical center in 2020 for a serious liver disease in 2020, after struggling with alcoholism for several years, as commented by some media outlets.

The Italian Cagliari, a club in which he played in two stages (1996-2000 and 2002), was "proud" of having been able to "admire up close" his "pure, crystalline genius, like the most precious diamonds." "Rest in peace, Fabián. You will be one of ours forever," the entity added in its statement.

The death of the former player also caused a wave of messages of support from active Uruguayan soccer players, such as striker Luis Suárez. "May you rest in peace, Fabián," shared the striker on Twitter, who wished "a lot of strength" to his entire family.

O'Neill made his professional debut at the Nacional de Montevideo in 1992, where he stayed until 1995 and won a Uruguayan National Championship, a Pre-Libertadores League and the Clausura Tournament. He then began his career in Italian football with Cagliari, Perugia and Juventus, before returning to Nacional in 2003 and lifting an Apertura Tournament.