Former France footballer Jean-Pierre Adams dies after 39 years in a coma

Former France and Paris Saint-Germain defender Jean-Pierre Adams has died aged 73 after spending 39 years in a coma.

Adams, who appeared 22 times for France, was left in a coma from the age of 34 after undergoing what should have been a routine knee operation.

But Adams never awoke from surgery, anaesthetic-related errors by hospital staff in Lyon led to his brain being starved of oxygen and causing him to slip into a coma.

Adams died at the Nimes University Hospital on Monday.

Nous avons appris ce matin la disparition de Jean-Pierre Adams. Il avait porté les couleurs du Nîmes Olympique à 84 reprises et formait avec Marius Trésor "la garde noire" en Équipe de France. Le Club présente ses plus sincères condoléances à ses proches et à sa famille. pic.twitter.com/jt5AqinXDg

— Nîmes Olympique (@nimesolympique) September 6, 2021

Tributes have followed from his former clubs Nimes, Nice and PSG, as they all pay respects to a pioneer who paved the way for French-African footballers.

Nimes, who Adams made 84 appearances for, expressed their "most sincere condolences to his loved ones and his family", and Nice promised a tribute before their next home game against Monaco on September 19.

PSG, too, released a statement echoing similar sentiments, adding that Adams' "joie de vivre, charisma and experience commanded respect".

The Senegal-born footballer returned home to Nimes the year after the botched operation and was cared for by his wife Bernadette up to his passing.

Le @PSG_inside a perdu, ce lundi 6 septembre, l’un de ses glorieux anciens. Défenseur des Rouge et Bleu et de l’Équipe de France, Jean-Pierre Adams avait porté les couleurs parisiennes de 1977 à 1979. Le Club présente ses condoléances à sa famille et à ses proches.

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) September 6, 2021