It was his final game in the Bundesliga
On Sunday, January 17th, Eintracht Frankfurt defender David Abraham played his final game for the Bundesliga club, in a 3-1 victory over Schalke.
After six years at the club, and close to 150 games, he will now return to his native Argentina to finish his playing days with Huracan.
As the final whistle blew in the game – which saw Real Madrid loanee Luka Jovic return to Frankfurt to score twice – an emotional Abraham could be seen embracing teammates and opponents alike.
It was at this point that something unusual happened. As he prepared to walk off the Deutsche Bank Park pitch for the final time, he walked over to referee Manuel Gräfe and asked him to swap shirts.
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The ref, looking extremely surprised and a little embarrassed, of course obliged, and the two swapped shirts. They also posed for photographs after the game.
Reflecting on his time in Germany in an interview with Kicker, Abraham admitted that he was grateful to have achieved a dream in playing for Frankfurt.
“In January 2013, I played my first game in Germany for Hoffenheim, in Frankfurt,” Abraham said. “I can remember looking at the fans and the backdrop from the bench – it was unbelievable, incredible. The fans created a real atmosphere and got behind their team for the whole game.
“That’s when I thought: ‘Man, it’d be great to play for Eintracht one day’. Two-and-a-half years later, the offer came in.
“It’s been very difficult being on my own, especially with no one from Argentina being allowed to visit because of Covid-19. Knowing that I’ll be back by my son’s side from January has been an extra motivating factor for me,” he said.
“I’ve been a father for four and a half years and I’ve seen my son very little, especially since the pandemic started. Nothing can replace this time of watching your son grow up.”
