( CNN ) -- Barcelona defender Eric Abidal returned to training Wednesday after seven months on the sidelines following a liver transplant . The 33-year-old was delighted to be back in action as he told the official website of the Catalan giants . `` I 've been thinking about training will the ball for a long time , '' the 33-year-old said . `` Today is the first day . I 'm tired , but happy . I think from now on my path to recovery will go well . '' The world of football was stunned when Abidal was diagnosed with a liver tumor in May 2011 , but he made a remarkable recovery to reclaim his place in the first team squad at the Camp Nou . But further complications arose in March which necessitated the transplant operation and another lengthy spell of rehabilitation . Abidal , hugely popular with the Barca fans , began his career with Monaco before moving to Lille in 2002 . It was after leaving Lille to join Lyon in 2004 that he rose to prominence . Blog : Does international soccer need a shake up ? Following three French First Division triumphs Abidal moved to Barcelona in June 2007 . Since moving to Spain , Abidal has collected a host of honors . He was a part of the Barca squad which won three consecutive La Liga titles between 2009 and 2011 . Abidal has collected a Cop del Rey winner 's medal on two occasions and helped Barca clinch European Champions League glory in 2009 and 2011 . In addition to his achievements at club level , Abidal has collected 61 caps for France . He was part of the Les Bleus squad which finished as runners-up at the 2006 FIFA World Cup .
Barcelona defender Eric Abidal returns to training . The French left-back has been out for seven months following a liver transplant . Abidal has been at Barca since 2007 and has twice won the European Champions League . Comment: