Fabrice Muamba – Professional Footballer, his life changed after his heart stopped!
Professional footballer, but then his heart stopped
Seeking Asylum & Settling in the UK
My name is Fabrice Muamba. I was born on April 6, 1988 to Marcel and Gertrude Muamba in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). My mother would make me and my brother Daniel attend church, before we were allowed to play football. Daniel and I would visit during church services. We were not disruptive, but were not focused on the message.
My father fled the country in 1994, because of his political views. He arrived in the United Kingdom seeking asylum. In 1999, he was granted indefinite leave to remain. At which time he was joined by the rest of the family. We settled in east London, where I attended Kelmscott School in Walthamstow. Â
Despite arriving in Britain at eleven years of age, I was unable to speak English. Â I went on to achieve 10 GCSEs and A-levels in English, French and Mathematics.
Professional Football Career
I began my career with Arsenal, and gained recognition when playing for Birmingham City. After completing the tenure of my contract and making 70 appearances for Birmingham City, I finally moved to Bolton Wanderers.
My style of play was often compared with the legendary French footballer Patrick Vieira. Thus proving my competence at the mid-field. My brilliance surpassed the football field. I excelled in academics, irrespective of his inability to speak English.
At the age of 11, I took refuge in England. Escaping the violence in my birth city of Kinshasa; now situated in DR Congo. As a British Citizen on the basis of naturalization, I represented England at U-19 and U-21 level.
I joined the âArsenal Academyâ in August 2004, while my association with the clubâs youth system goes back to 2002. I made my team debut in a league cup in October 2005. At Sunderland, after signing a professional contract the same month.
In my second match for Arsenal against Reading, I aided the team to a 0-3 victory. This also proved to be the second and last appearance for the club.
I joined Birmingham City in August 2006 on loan. I soon established myself as a central midfielder, by my pace and energy on the field. I gained popularity among Birmingham fans. And was voted as the âYoung Player of the Season.â
On May 11, 2007, I made my stay permanent with the club. As I got to play regularly here, and felt limited by Arsenalâs mid-field strength. The contract was for three years and for a fee of 4 million pounds.
To remain eligible to play for England, I declined the offer to play for DR Congo.
I was the captain of Englandâs U-19 team. We played against Romania in a friendly for the U-21 team on August 21, 2007, at Ashton Gate, Bristol. I played six more matches at this level.
On June 16, 2008, I moved to Bolton Wanderers on a four-year contract. The fee was for 5 million pounds. I had an impressive season. And was named as âThe Bolton News Player of the Season.â
In the opening match of the 2011-12 seasons, I contributed in Boltonâs 4-0 win by scoring against Queens Park Rangers.
However, I had problems with fame as a professional football player. I developed a spirit of lust. Girls threw themselves at me, and I thought I was a playboy. I turned into a womanizing playboy while at The Blues. Almost wrecking my relationship with my future wife, by dating a string of other women.
The following season I became a full-time player at St Andrewâs. Earning a whopping ÂŁ10,000 a week, but I admit that the fame and money went to my head.
Life off The Pitch
I started going out to nightclubs in Birmingham. Because it was a small city, it soon got around that we were lads who enjoyed a good time. I started getting in trouble with women. When they heard I was speaking to other women on the same nights out.
After the clubâs promotion to the Premier League, I found more women chasing me. So I resorted to using a false name with women.
By this point, women were starting to throw themselves at me. I coped by pretending my name was âMarcusâ when we went out. That meant that nobody would hassle me.
It was in September 2007, on the day Blues beat Bolton. That night I met my wife-to-be Shauna, at Birminghamâs Oceana nightclub.
I recalled, âI was normally very shy when it came to speaking to women. But it just felt like something I had to do, so I found this boldness from somewhere. We then swapped numbers. I tried to remain calm despite the big problems on the horizon.
I lied and told her I was 24 when I was only 18. Then I told her that my name was Marcus.
At the time it seemed easier to lie and give a false name. So I didnât attract the wrong women, who were interested in me because of your day job.
Me and Shauna hit a rocky patch because of my antics with other women.
My Future Wife
Shauna is strong, confident and always speaks her mind. Thereâs no two ways about it, she puts me in my place when I needed it. However, that does not mean I was the perfect early boyfriend. I made mistakes that could have proved to be the end of us.
After Shauna and I had been going out for about nine months, I started playing football at Birmingham. I also started playing the field again, dating other women. We inevitably split up.
What can I say? I was an idiot.
I thought I was a playboy back then. My earlier lack of confidence with girls had been replaced with over confidence. I thought I could run around Birmingham trying to get my groove on, with anyone I pleased.
It was silly of me to act in that way. It was silly of me to hurt Shauna and the other women that way.
I wanted the freedom that being a young man can offer. Especially a young man with a high profile. Iâm not the first or last footballer to act stupidly, to give into the temptations in front of you.
I met another woman at a barber shop and a string of women after her.
After leaving Shauna for that women, I then bounced to another very quickly. Which just made me look more of an idiot.
Shauna was very, very upset. It was the worst Iâve ever seen her and it was unforgivable. When I look back, I was clueless about what matters. I wish I would have handled it very differently.
After we split, Shauna revealed she was pregnant with my baby. An announcement that changed his life.
âI knew it was time to be a man and step up and take care of my child. Iâd got myself into this situation and it was time to do the right thing.”
My life changed when my heart stopped for 78 Minutes
I thought football would help me to succeed in life. Before every game I would call my dad, and we would pray. As I started to mature, prayer became the catalyst for my life. Although we had a team chaplain, I would offend lead prayer before the football games.
Me and Shauna finally got engaged on Valentineâs Day in 2012.
On March 17, 2012, I collapsed on the field after a cardiac arrest. It happened during the first half of an FA Cup quarter-final match against Tottenham Hotspur. I received immediate medical attention from the personnel at White Hart Lane. Dr. Andrew Deaner, a cardiologist who was in the stand with his brothers, provided his expert medical attention as well.
Later, I was taken to the London Chest Hospital, and admitted to the coronary care unit.
It was later revealed by the clubâs Bolton doctor that I was dead. My heart stopped for 78 minutes.
Shauna remained at my bedside and prayed. After seventy-eight minutes with no heartbeat…..
God awakened me.
I sat up in bed, and started speaking in an unknown language. Shauna said, âWhat are you speaking?â I was speaking a heavenly language. I had a divine visitation.
While in the hospital a Jamaican lady came into my room. She touched my head three times and prayed. I fell back into the bed. She was imparting the power of the Holy Spirit into my life. I had never seen her before. I asked her who she was and she said, âGod has called me to touch people.â
The next part of my journey
Seven months after the stroke, on October 21, 2012, I married Shauna at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire. My decision to marry was a result of my experience with death, and I didnât want to wait any longer.
While I signed for Bolton, Shauna remained in Birmingham where she eventually gave birth to baby Joshua on November 1 in 2008. I raced to Birmingham and she was in the waiting room with her mother, Marva who was understandably frosty with me. Shauna was taken into the delivery room, and I went in with her. It was all done very quickly.
I was handed this tiny, little bundle. And it was at the split second that I became a man. I held him and I cried. He was a tiny, perfect, healthy baby boy. I was buzzing. In fact, I was miles beyond buzzing.
It was Shauna who brought me to my senses.
She told me about an Italian footballer Piermario Morosini and Norwegian swimmer Alexander Dale Oen. They both died after suffering cardiac arrests. She said âthat was you but somehow I pulled through with Godâs help.â I realized that I had to calm myself down and just be grateful to be alive.
We went on to have two sons, Joshua Jeremiah and Matthew Josiah.
I graduated from Staffordshire University with a degree in accounting. I was a former Bolton central mid-fielder and played professional football from 2005 to 2012.
After my premature retirement, I spent some time doing charities and aiding the cause of heart health. Later, I was drawn back into football and sought a career as a coach.
After seeking medical advice from a leading cardiologist in Belgium, I announced my retirement from professional football on August 15, 2012.
After my forced retirement, I tried to build my career in football-related activities.
First, I tried commentary for BT Sportâs broadcast of the third round of the playoffs during the African World Cup qualification.
After spending some time with my family and raising awareness of heart health. I decided to come back to football through coaching. I received a Football Management Diploma at the âUniversity of Liverpoolâ. After a few coaching sessions at Liverpoolâs academy in March 2015; I got the opportunity to coach the U-16 team at Rochdale. This was at the invitation of my friend, Brett Issitt.
My pace and energy won the hearts of the Birmingham City Fans and they voted me the âYoung Player of the Season.â I accepted an honorary doctorate awarded by the âUniversity of Bolton.â
My new mission was to help the awareness of medical professionals who helped save my life.
