Fabrice Muamba
Encyclopedia
Fabrice Ndala Muamba is a footballer who plays for Bolton Wanderers
as a midfielder
in the Premier League. He previously played for Arsenal
and Birmingham City
. At international level, he has represented England at under-21 level
.
, Zaire
(now the Democratic Republic of the Congo
). His father fled the country in 1994 because of his political views and arrived in England 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 England aged 11 unable to speak English, he went on to take A-levels, and excelled in football at school.
'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
.
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 Premiership after one season back in the top tier.
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 May 2010 he was named as The Bolton News
player of the season, thus recognising his fine contribution to the Bolton team throughout the 2009–10 season.
On 7 August 2010, Muamba signed a new four-year contract with Bolton Wanderers, after an impressive 2009–10 league campaign at the Reebok Stadium
.
|2005–06
|Arsenal
||Premier League|||0||0||0||0||2||0||0||0||2||0
|-
|2006–07
|Birmingham City
||Championship
|||34||0||3||0||4||0||0||0||41||0
|-
|2007–08
|Birmingham City||rowspan="5"|Premier League|||37||2||1||0||0||0||0||0||38||2
|-
|2008–09
|rowspan="4"|Bolton Wanderers
||38||0||1||0||1||0||0||0||40||0
|-
|2009–10
||36||1||4||0||3||0||0||0||43||1
|-
|2010–11
||36||1||5||0||0||0||0||0||39||1
|-
|2011–12
||5||1||0||0||2||1||0||0||7||2
|-
186||5||14||0||12||1||0||0||212||6
British citizen
, Muamba is eligible to play for any of the Home Nations
in which he has received three years of full time education before the age of 18 or lived in for five years, which, in Muamba's case, is currently just England
, who he has represented at all under-age 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 was an integral part of England's U-21 European Championships side.
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
in the Premier League. He previously played for Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
. At international level, he has represented England at under-21 level
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
.
Early life
Muamba was born in KinshasaKinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
, Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
(now the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
). His father fled the country in 1994 because of his political views and arrived in England seeking asylum
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
. In 1999 he was granted indefinite leave to remain
Indefinite leave to remain
Indefinite leave to remain is an immigration status granted to a person who does not hold right of abode in the United Kingdom , but who has been admitted to the UK without any time limit on his or her stay and who is free to take up employment or study, without restriction...
, at which time he was joined by the rest of the family. They settled in east London, where Muamba attended Kelmscott School
Kelmscott School
Kelmscott School is a secondary comprehensive school in Walthamstow, East London, UK. The school has approximately 900 pupils aged 11–16, and has specialist status in humanities with business and enterprise. In 2008 the school underwent an £11.2m refurbishment as part of the Building Schools for...
in Walthamstow
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
. Despite having arrived in England aged 11 unable to speak English, he went on to take A-levels, and excelled in football at school.
Arsenal
Muamba was associated with ArsenalArsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
's youth system as a schoolboy from 2002, joining their Academy
Arsenal F.C. Academy
Arsenal Football Club Academy are the youth team of Arsenal Football Club. They currently play in the FA Premier Academy League, the highest level of youth football in England...
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
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
tie against Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
, in front of a 47,000 crowd at the Stadium of Light
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. matches...
.
Birmingham City
In August 2006, Muamba joined Birmingham CityBirmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
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
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
, 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
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
. He made 37 appearances as Birmingham were relegated from the Premiership after one season back in the top tier.
Bolton Wanderers
On 16 June 2008 Muamba joined Premier League Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
for a fee of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
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 May 2010 he was named as The Bolton News
The Bolton News
The Bolton News - formerly the Bolton Evening News - is a daily newspaper covering the towns of Bolton and Bury in north-western England...
player of the season, thus recognising his fine contribution to the Bolton team throughout the 2009–10 season.
On 7 August 2010, Muamba signed a new four-year contract with Bolton Wanderers, after an impressive 2009–10 league campaign at the Reebok Stadium
Reebok Stadium
The Reebok Stadium is the home stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is commonly known as 'The Reebok'...
.
Club career statistics
|-|2005–06
|Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
||Premier League|||0||0||0||0||2||0||0||0||2||0
|-
|2006–07
|Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
|||34||0||3||0||4||0||0||0||41||0
|-
|2007–08
|Birmingham City||rowspan="5"|Premier League|||37||2||1||0||0||0||0||0||38||2
|-
|2008–09
|rowspan="4"|Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
||38||0||1||0||1||0||0||0||40||0
|-
|2009–10
||36||1||4||0||3||0||0||0||43||1
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Bolton Wanderers F.C. season
-Premier League:The fixtures for the 2010–11 season were announced on 17 June, and revealed that Bolton would begin their league campaign by welcoming Fulham to the Reebok Stadium in Mark Hughes' first competitive fixture as Fulham's manager. The match finished goalless with Bolton giving a debut...
||36||1||5||0||0||0||0||0||39||1
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Bolton Wanderers F.C. season
The 2011–12 season is Bolton Wanderers's thirteenth season in the Premier League, and their eleventh consecutive season in the top-flight of English football. It is their third season with shirt sponsors 188BET.It covers the period from 1 July 2011 to June 30, 2012...
||5||1||0||0||2||1||0||0||7||2
|-
186||5||14||0||12||1||0||0||212||6
International career
As a naturalisedNaturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
British citizen
British nationality law
British nationality law is the law of the United Kingdom that concerns citizenship and other categories of British nationality. The law is complex because of the United Kingdom's former status as an imperial power.-History:...
, Muamba is eligible to play for any of the Home Nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
in which he has received three years of full time education before the age of 18 or lived in for five years, which, in Muamba's case, is currently just England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, who he has represented at all under-age levels, and captained the U-19 team.
He received his first call-up for England U-21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
for the friendly against Romania U-21
Romania national under-21 football team
The Romania national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation. The team competes in the European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years....
on 21 August 2007 at Ashton Gate
Ashton Gate
Ashton Gate Stadium is a stadium in Ashton Gate, Bristol, England, and is the home of Bristol City F.C. Located in the south-west of the city, just south of the River Avon, it has an all-seated capacity of 21,497, with an effective capacity for football matches of around 19,500, with an average...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
,
and made his debut as a second-half substitute. Muamba was an integral part of England's U-21 European Championships side.