Fabrice Ndala Muamba is a retired professional footballer who played for Arsenal, Birmingham
City and Bolton Wanderers as a central midfielder. Born in Zaire, Muamba moved to England at
the age of 11, and subsequently played for the England under-21 team.
Muamba began his career in 2002, joining Arsenal's youth academy. After three years, he turned
professional in 2005. He made his debut for Arsenal in the League Cup, but played only
one other professional match for the club. Following a loan spell with Birmingham City,
he made the move permanent in 2007. He stayed with Birmingham City for one additional year,
and left after making more than 70 appearances and making his England under-21 debut while
with the team. He joined Bolton Wanderers in 2008.
In March 2012, Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest during a televised FA Cup match between Bolton
and Tottenham Hotspur, from which he recovered despite his heart having stopped for 78 minutes.
Following medical advice, he announced his retirement from professional football in August
2012.
Early life Muamba was born in Kinshasa, Zaire. His father
fled the country in 1994 because of his political views and 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. They settled in east London, where Muamba attended Kelmscott
School in Walthamstow. Despite having arrived in Britain aged 11, unable to speak English,
he went on to achieve 10 GCSEs and A-levels in English, French and mathematics.
Club career Arsenal
Muamba was associated with Arsenal's youth system as a schoolboy from 2002, joining their
Academy as a first-year scholar in August 2004. He signed his first professional contract
in October 2005 and made his first team debut on 25 October in a League Cup tie against
Sunderland, in front of a 47,000 crowd at the Stadium of Light. He made his second and
final first team appearance for Arsenal in the next round against Reading, where he helped
towards a 3–0 victory. Birmingham City
In August 2006, Muamba joined Championship club Birmingham City on a season-long loan.
After a slow start, his energetic style of play, which has been likened to that of his
hero Patrick Vieira, established him as a regular starter in central midfield. The fans
were equally impressed, voting him their Young Player of the Season.
On 11 May 2007 Muamba made his move to Birmingham City permanent, signing a three-year contract
for a fee reported by the club of £4 million. He scored his first goal for the club, a close-range
volley from a corner, on 12 March 2008 in a 4–2 defeat at Portsmouth. He made 37 appearances
as Birmingham were relegated from the Premier League after one season back in the top tier.
Bolton Wanderers
On 16 June 2008, Muamba joined Premier League Bolton Wanderers for a fee of £5 million,
with add-ons worth a further £750,000, on a four-year contract. He scored his first
goal for the club against Wigan Athletic on 13 March 2010. In recognition of his impressive
2009–10 season at Bolton, he was named as The Bolton News Player of the Season. On 7
August, Muamba signed a new four-year contract with Bolton.
Muamba scored on the opening day of the 2011–12 league season, in Bolton's 4–0 away win
against Queens Park Rangers. He then scored his first ever goal in the League Cup, against
his old club Arsenal in a 2–1 defeat. Cardiac arrest on the pitch
On 17 March 2012, Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed during the first half
of an FA Cup quarter-final match between Bolton and Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
After receiving lengthy attention on the pitch from medical personnel – including a consultant
cardiologist who was at the game as a fan – Muamba was taken to the specialist coronary
care unit at the London Chest Hospital. Bolton manager Owen Coyle and club captain Kevin
Davies accompanied Muamba in the ambulance. The match was abandoned by referee Howard
Webb, and Bolton's next game, against Aston Villa, due to be played three days later,
was postponed at the club's request.
Bolton's club doctor later confirmed that Muamba had received numerous defibrillator
shocks both on the pitch and in the ambulance, but his heart had stopped for 78 minutes.
The player was initially kept under anaesthetic in intensive care. By 19 March, his heart
was beating without medication and he was able to move his limbs. Later that day his
condition was described as "serious" rather than "critical" and he was able to recognise
family members and respond appropriately to questions. By 21 March, his consultant suggested
that Muamba's progress had "exceeded our expectations" and that although he faced a "lengthy recovery
period", "normal life is within the spectrum of possibility".
Two weeks after the incident, a photograph was released of Muamba sitting up in his hospital
bed and smiling. He was discharged from hospital on 16 April, having been fitted with an implantable
cardioverter-defibrillator. Muamba attended Bolton's home match against Tottenham Hotspur
on 2 May, where he expressed his gratitude for the support he had received.
On 15 August 2012, Bolton announced that Muamba had retired from professional football, based
on the recommendation of his medical team. Muamba said:
Since suffering my heart attack and being discharged from hospital, I have remained
utterly positive in the belief I could one day resume my playing career and play for
Bolton Wanderers once again. As part of my on-going recovery, last week I travelled to
Belgium to seek further medical advice from a leading cardiologist. But the news I received
was obviously not what I had hoped it would be and it means I am now announcing my retirement
from professional football. Football has been my life since I was a teenage boy and it has
given me so many opportunities. Above all else, I love the game and count myself very
lucky to have been able to play at the highest level. While the news is devastating, I have
much to be thankful for. I thank God that I am alive and I pay tribute once again to
the members of the medical team who never gave up on me. I would also like to thank
everyone who has supported me throughout my career, and the Bolton fans who have been
incredible. I am blessed to have the support of my family and friends at this time.
On Thursday 8 November 2012, Muamba returned to White Hart Lane for the first time since
his cardiac arrest and received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Post football career Media work
Following his retirement from the game, Muamba was part of ITV's coverage of the 2013 Africa
Cup of Nations. He was also a co-commentator alongside Derek Rae on BT Sport's coverage
of the African World Cup qualification third round play-offs.
Journalism Fabrice Muamba is working towards a career
in sports journalism. He is studying journalism at Staffordshire University and in December
2013 went on work placement at BBC North West Tonight.
Club career statistics International career
As a naturalised British citizen, Muamba was eligible to play for any of the Home Nations
in which he had received three years of full-time education before the age of 18 or lived in
for five years. In Muamba's case, that was just England, whom he represented at all youth
levels, and captained the U-19 team. He received his first call-up for England U-21 for the
friendly against Romania U-21 on 21 August 2007 at Ashton Gate, Bristol, and made his
debut as a second-half substitute. Muamba had also been called up to the DR Congo
squad in May 2007, but declined so as to remain eligible for England.
Personal life Muamba became engaged to Shauna Magunda on
14 February 2012. The pair met while he was playing for Birmingham City and she was studying
for a master's degree at Birmingham City University. They have a son, Joshua Jeremiah. On 21 October
2012, Shauna and Fabrice married at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire. Muamba has been described
as "deeply religious" and claimed he would have sought a career in accountancy had he
not become a professional footballer. In July 2012, the University of Bolton awarded
an honorary doctorate to Muamba, which he accepted on behalf of those involved in saving
his life. He took part in the 2012 Christmas Special edition of the BBC programme Strictly
Come Dancing. References
External links Official website
Fabrice Muamba career stats at Soccerbase