After 39 years in a coma, French player Jean-Pierre Adams died at the age of 73.

Adams was 34 years old when he fell into a profound coma after an anaesthetic error during regular knee surgery at Lyon Hospital in 1982.

He was believed to be in ‘excellent health’ prior to the operation and was anticipated to wake up in a matter of hours.

Adams, on the other hand, remained in a coma for 39 years.

On Monday, Adams was pronounced dead at the University Hospital of Nimes.

The 73-year-old was born in Dakar, Senegal, in 1948 and represented France on 22 occasions between 1972 and 1976.

He also played 41 times for Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, while spending the majority of his career with Nice.

According to the Blizzard, Adams was attending a coaching session in Dijon when he became concerned about his knee, as reported by the Guardian.

On the fourth day, the footballer decided to postpone the course and go to a hospital in Lyon for a scan.

The scan revealed that Adams’ tendon in the back of his knee had been damaged, and a surgeon advised that surgery was the best course of action.

On the morning of the operation, Adams reportedly informed his wife Bernadette, “It’s all fine, I’m in great shape,”

Adams was put into a coma for surgery and never came out.

His team doctor at PSG, Pierre Huth, spearheaded a campaign against the operation’s handling.

The case went on for seven years before the doctors were convicted guilty of involuntary damage by the Seventh Chamber of the Correctional Tribunal in Lyon.

In 2007, Adam’s wife provided a brief update on her husband and explained: “Jean-Pierre feels, smells, hears, jumps when a dog barks. But he cannot see.”

His former clubs and teammates who are living are sending in their condolences to his family.