FORMER Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas says he is praying for his 95-year-old great-grandmother after discovering she has coronavirus.
The dad-of-three, now playing for French side Monaco, has admitted he knows it will be difficult for her to pull through at her age.
The 32-year-old found out Flora had coronavirus during tests ahead of a planned transfer of residents from an OAP home he was helping financially in his native town of Arenys de Mar near Barcelona.
He had agreed to pay for around 16 people including his elderly relative to stay in a nearby hotel.
Fabregas told Spanish TV broadcaster La Sexta in an interview: “She’s 95 and the poor woman has unfortunately got coronavirus.
“There were a lot of people in her home who didn’t have it and we wanted to get them to a hotel.
“We tested them all again and 70 or 80 per cent came back positive for Covid-19, including my great-grandmother.”
The footballer, who is on lockdown in France with his wife Daniella Semaan and their three children Lia, Capri and Leonardo, added: “On Thursday we had a video call with her and she looked okay and in a good mood.
“The worst thing is not being able to be with her and give her a hug. I hope she gets through this, but we know it’s going to be difficult.”
The elderly care home has been named as Verge del Remei.
It emerged last month that Fabregas had contacted the local mayor and centre’s director to pay for the elderly people living at the home to be transferred to a local hotel.
At the time 13 of its resident 32 OAPs were said to have tested positive for Covid-19.
