Fabian O’Neill, a former defender for Uruguay and Cagliari, passed away at the age of 49 following a struggle with chronic liver illness.

O’Neill, who played 19 times for Uruguay, was admitted to the hospital on Saturday in a coma after suffering a hemorrhage, according to the Uruguayan Football Federation.

The South American had previously battled alcoholism and was once lauded by football legend Zinedine Zidane as one of the most “gifted players” he had ever seen.

At the tender age of 18, the defender made his senior debut for Club Nacional in 1996. He then relocated to Italy to play for Cagliari.

After three seasons and 136 games, he left the club to join Juventus in 2000, where he helped the Old Lady win the Serie A championship.

O’Neill departed Juventus after 20 appearances and joined Perugia before making a 2002 comeback to Cagliari.

The defender also went to South Korea and Japan with Uruguay’s World Cup team in 2002, although he didn’t play in the competition.

Before returning to Uruguay to play for Nacional and retiring in 2003, he stayed in Italy for one additional year.

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Fabián O’Neill’s cause of death

Fabián O’Neill passed away after battling with chronic liver disease

Fabián O’Neill wife and children

O’Neill had three children—two daughters and a son—all of whom were the product of various mothers. As of June 2020, his middle child Martina was a field hockey player, and as of December 2021, his son Favio was a defensive midfielder with Nacional’s rival Pearol’s under-19 club.

Fabián O’Neill’s net worth

Fabián O’Neill’s net worth is estimated to be between $1 million and $5 million dollars.

Fabián O’Neill funeral

At the time of this publication, the family is yet to issue an official statement on his funeral plans. Keep an eye here as we update you on the latest.