After 15 shocks to his heart – during which medics twice considered declaring him dead – Fabrice Muamba came back to life. Now, 14 years on and looking in great shape, the 6ft 2in athlete tells The Mirror: “The big man upstairs said ‘it’s not your time yet. I’ve watched the whole thing back. I’ve seen it. I was almost in disbelief. ‘Did that really happen? Is that really me?’”
On March 17, 2012, Bolton Wanderers were 43 minutes into the match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane when Fabrice – then just 23 – went into sudden cardiac arrest. Given oxygen and CPR in the middle of the football pitch, it took 15 shocks with a defibrillator to bring him back.
He says: “I nearly lost everything – my life. I took a lot of things for granted. I don’t do that now. For me, it’s about enjoying life and making the most of every single day.”
Asked if he supports the Daily Mirror’s award-winning campaign to legally mandate and expand people’s access to defibrillators in public spaces and vehicles across the UK, he says: “I think defibs should be mandatory, just like how we have a fire extinguisher in every single building. I think a defib should be everywhere, in bus stops, anywhere there are people.”
Fabrice, 38, who lives in Cheshire with his wife Shauna and their children Joshua, 17, Matthew, 13, Gabriel, eight and Zuri, five, would also add teaching CPR to the school curriculum. He says: “It’s important to teach kids, because in order for you to use a defib, you need to be able to do CPR. That CPR will give someone probably a 25% chance of surviving. We need to teach kids from a very young age at school. That child who learned CPR in school could save a life.”
Reflecting on his cardiac arrest, Fabrice says the incident was so shocking that people tell him they remember where they were when it happened. He says: “People have since told me, ‘I was here;’ ‘I was driving;’ ‘I heard it on the radio’.
Fabrice, who was speaking after recording an immersive live episode of the Think Deepa podcast, with host Deepa Parekh, feels his ordeal has had positive repercussions. He says it spurred the Football Association to improve direct access to the pitch for emergency vehicles and medical staff, should anyone need assistance.
He says: “What happened to me has educated people around the importance of CPR. Staying Alive, for example, was the song that helped me to recover. That rhythm that we teach people [when showing them how to do CPR saved my life.”
When, in June this year, Danish footballer Christian Eriksen, 34, collapsed on the pitch in Odense, Denmark, in the 65th minute of an international friendly match between Denmark and Ukraine, it was his second cardiac arrest. He had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted, following a cardiac arrest at the European Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2021.
Fabrice continues: “For the ICD to kick in; for him to be able to get up and walk around, it just shows you where the level of technology has got to in the medical world, where you don’t need to call an ambulance.”
The ICD had detected a dangerous heart rhythm and shocked Christian’s heart, enabling him to regain consciousness and walk off the pitch. Fabrice adds: “I’m so happy that Christian is still here, able to spend time with his wife and his children. That’s the most important thing.”
Still feeling overwhelming gratitude to those who saved his life, Fabrice considers himself incredibly lucky that his heart stopped on the football pitch.
He says: “I had the best medical care that day. If you look at what happened, I had two doctors from Bolton, two doctors from Spurs, which makes it four. An ambulance was yards away from me, which had four crew, so that makes eight. And then there was a cardiologist in the stand. That made it nine. That just would not happen in everyday life. I was incredibly lucky.
“They did an amazing job – took me from the pitch to the ambulance, and from the ambulance straight to the hospital. When I got to the hospital, everything was ready and they just did what they had to do. The universe just aligned everything, ready.”
Sharing his life philosophy, he continues: “I believe we’re here for a season, a reason. The season to cry, the season to laugh, there is a season for everything. I’m in my season of enjoyment.” Working as assistant coach for the first team at Burnley FC for some time, Fabrice is now taking time out to focus on his family.
He says: “At the moment, I’m just happy to be able to spend time with my children. I’m getting to see their childhoods. Stuff that I wasn’t able to do when I was coaching. I’m able to do it now.
“When you are a coach, you’re so engaged in just football. I’ve taken a step back and it’s made me appreciate the people that support me. Now I’m able to dedicate a year or so, just to spending time with them.”
But football will always be the language he speaks. Fabrice came to England, aged 11, in 1991, to be reunited with his dad, who fled from the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (then known as Zaire), and was granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK as a political refugee.
Fabrice says: “Football was my first language and my passport.” Then settling in east London, Fabrice could not speak English. He says: “I was starting all over again. How do I make friends? How do I involve myself in life?
“Football was my open door to many opportunities. In school, I was the tall African boy who could play football. I learned English playing football. I learned all my swear words playing football, too.”
And tonight, he’ll be glued to his TV, watching England play France in the World Cup. He says: “We’re all watching. The last game England played, I let the kids stay up a little bit longer. That was a one-off, I’m a very strict dad.”
Seeing his old team mate, Jordan Henderson, play in the World Cup, before he was stood down because of injury, Fabrice admits: “Now and then I wish I was there. When you retire, you obviously wish sometimes you were on that pitch. But I’m also really enjoying supporting them, to go and achieve greatness.”
Meanwhile, he has high hopes for England this evening. And who wouldn’t want a man who has cheated the Grim Reaper on their side? He says: “England’s got a good chance. We’re in a good position. We’re seeing all the top players come alive and showcase their talents. England has the same chances as France and Spain. We’ve got as good a chance as any of them. I think we could bring it home.”
*For more information about the Think Deepa podcast and to book tickets for the new live immersive series, see https://deepaparekh.com. Follow Think Deepa Channel on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@thinkdeepa
A new immersive podcast
Think Deepa Live is an immersive, Manchester-based live podcast experience hosted by broadcaster, producer, and marketing expert Deepa Parekh. Spun off from her successful studio podcast Think Deepa. The live event series focuses heavily on mindset, resilience, identity, and personal transformation. Unlike a traditional, passive live recording, the show blends interviews with guided reflection, immersive storytelling, crystal sound-bowl experiences, and active audience participation.
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