Former Barcelona defender Eric Abidal has begged his wife Hayet for forgiveness after it emerged she wants a divorce following allegations he had a relationship with Paris Saint-Germain women's footballer Kheira Hamraoui.
The link between Abidal and Hamraoui was said to have come to light earlier this month as investigators tried to learn who was behind a mysterious recent attack on the PSG women's star.
Hamraoui's legs were beaten after she was dragged out of a car with her team-mate Aminata Diallo. Hamraoui appealed to the media to respect her privacy after police discovered she was using a telephone SIM card registered in Abidal's name on the night of the attack.
In a statement last week, Hayet Abidal's lawyers insisted she is 'going to file a divorce request' in Barcelona.
The statement claimed that Abidal 'admitted to his spouse' that he had an affair with Hamraoui after French prosecutors in the Paris suburb of Versailles announced the SIM card link.
Abidal, a household name in France, was Barcelona's sporting director from 2018 to 2020, during which time Hamraoui was playing with the Spanish club's women's team.
During his playing career Abidal won four LaLiga titles and the Champions League twice with Barcelona. He also played for Lyon, winning Ligue 1 three times, and earned over 60 caps for France.
The Abidals, who know each other from their native Lyon in southeast France, have been married since 2007 and have four daughters and a son.
In a desperate plea to win back his wife on Tuesday, Abidal posted a picture of him looking upset on Instagram alongside the caption: 'Hayetabidal forgive me.
'Whatever your decision, you will remain in my eyes the woman of my life, and especially the mother of our wonderful children.
'I deserve this humiliation even though it kills me alive. Thank God, God willing one day you will forgive me. #loveyoutothemoonandback.'
The attack on Hamraoui and its aftermath sent shockwaves through PSG, with her and Diallo considered friendly rivals for midfield positions.
Diallo, who was not injured in the attack, was held for questioning for nearly 35 hours earlier this month before being released without charge.
Hamraoui was left out of the squad in PSG's 2-0 defeat of Real Madrid last Thursday, which saw them clinch their place in the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League.
The 31-year-old was beaten with an iron bar, leaving her with a number of bruises and cuts on her legs which required stitches.
French sports paper L'Equipe released details from the police on how the attack took place, detailing how Diallo drove Hamraoui to and from a team meal in a Toyota Corolla provided by the club, dropping off another player afterwards - Sakina Karchaoui - before the attack began in Chatou, Yvelines.
'My attacker hit me with an iron bar several times. I saw that he was mainly targeting my legs and I was trying to protect myself with my hands,' Hamraoui told police.
'At that time, I didn't see a weapon. They immediately start yelling: "Open the door! Open the door!" The one on my side grabbed me and pulled me out of the vehicle.
'Before, he grabbed a rectangular iron bar that he had hidden in his pants or under his sweater.
'He gave me a first blow from the first moments of the assault to force me out of the cabin. I fell on the road and then on the right side of the road.
'My attacker hit me with an iron bar several times. I saw that he was mainly targeting my legs and I was trying to protect myself with my hands.
'The scene lasted several minutes, it seemed long to me. Aminata told me it was faster. I think the two individuals fled because cars were coming into the street.
'They started running in the direction of the traffic. We quickly lost sight of them. I think a car should be waiting for them nearby.'
Hamraoui also referred to hearing the term 'you like to sleep with married men' during the assault, a detail confirmed by Diallo who was being 'detained' by the second stranger throughout the attack.
After sustaining serious injuries, she was taken to hospital and told to stay off work for three weeks but she has reportedly resumed individual training - yet is being aided by a psychologist and benefits from 'close protection set up by the club.'
Diallo, meanwhile, released a statement last week about the allegations: 'Aminata Diallo deplores the perfectly artificial dramatisation of a rivalry between her and Kheira Hamraoui which would justify her taking it out on her team-mate.
'This theory does not correspond in any way to the true nature of their relationship.
'Other much more serious leads are now being looked at by investigators, which do not implicate my client in any way.
'Aminata Diallo regrets the media uproar which had already sentenced her, with no basis, and she would like to emphasise that she will not hesitate to defend her rights through legal action, if necessary, against all defamation.'