Fabian O’Neill, former Uruguayan international and idol of Zidane, is dead

Uruguayan international Fabian O’Neill died on Sunday at the age of 49 following chronic liver disease.

Former Uruguayan midfielder Fabian O’Neill, who played for Cagliari and Nacional at club level, died on Sunday at the age of 49, the Uruguayan football federation announced.

ESPN reported that O’Neill was admitted to hospital on Saturday in a coma bleeding from chronic liver disease. The midfielder made 19 appearances for Uruguay and was in the squad at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, although he didn’t feature.