Born in 1988 in Kinshasa, DR Congo, Fabrice Muamba came to England at the age of 11, reuniting with his father, who had claimed political asylum in Britain due to civil war in his homeland.
Unable to speak English on his arrival in the country, he signed schoolboy terms at Arsenal in 2002, before joining Arsene Wenger’s academy two years later. Talented both on and off the field, the midfield player gained an A-grade in his A-level maths exam, before signing a professional contract with Arsenal in October 2005.
Compared in style to Patrick Vieira, Muamba, 23, made his debut for Arsenal in a League Cup game against Sunderland, before making one further appearance for the North London club in the same competition. He was loaned to Birmingham City for the 2005-06 season and, after 36 appearances, made a permanent move to St Andrews the following summer signing a three-year deal for a fee reported to be £4 million.
Despite appearing 37 times for Birmingham, he was unable to prevent his new side being relegated from the Premier League and moved to Bolton Wanderers in 2008 for a fee in excess of £5 million. Signing a four-year deal at the Reebok Stadium, he made his mark in the centre of midfield, earning the player of the season award in 2010 from local paper The Bolton News. In August 2010 he put pen to paper on a new four-year contract at Bolton, committing him to the club until 2014.
Having represented England at youth level since the age of 16, Muamba ended a four-year spell in the England Under-21 set-up by playing for Stuart Pearce’s side at the European Championships in Denmark.
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Muamba collapsed during Bolton’s FA Cup tie with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane this evening.