While it’s commonly asserted that there are more crucial aspects to life than football, the story of Fabrice Muamba exemplifies a profound connection with the sport. Even in the face of a heart-stopping incident during a match, Muamba did not hesitate to come back to the sport that had given him so much.
Nearly five months after experiencing a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup match with Bolton, Fabrice Muamba, an Englishman of Congolese origin, has shared that he resumed playing football during his holiday in Dubai in May.
“I was at the hotel swimming pool when I heard people playing football. So, I went there with friends and Shauna (his fiancée Shauna Magunda),” Muamba revealed to the American channel CNN. “I told her: I’m sorry, but I’m going to play football. She then asked me: Are you sure? And I answered: Yes, and I entered the field.”
“I played for 20-25 minutes, almost normally. It was like training. It was superb, and I really liked it. It was as if everything was starting again. I hope God allows me to be on a field again, with eleven players, to play. That would be really fantastic!” detailed the former England under-21 international.
On March 17, Muamba, aged 24, collapsed on the pitch at White Hart Lane before half-time of an FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham, and his heart stopped beating for 78 minutes.
Originally from Congo, Muamba left the hospital a month after his heart attack. On May 2, he returned to White Hart Lane to greet the supporters and his teammates during an English Championship match.
