The Senegalese-born has been in coma since March 17, 1982 after a horrible knee operation which shouldn't had taken a few hours, went horribly wrong.

coma in 1982 following an anaesthesia error during routine knee surgery at Lyon Hospital.

He was said to have been in 'great shape' going into the operation and was expected to wake up after only a few hours.

But Adams remained in the coma for 39 years.

Adams was pronounced dead on Monday at the Nimes University Hospital.

The 73-year-old was born in Dakar, Senegal, in 1948 and went on to play 22 times for the France national team from 1972 to 1976.

He also made 41 appearances for Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, although spent the majority of his career playing at Nice.