Marc-Vivien Foé (May 1, 1975 - June 26, 2003) was a Cameroonian midfield football player, born in Nkolo, Cameroon.
Foé began his professional career with Canon Yaounde in the Cameroonian league. He made an appearance in the 1994 World Cup which prompted a move to France where he played for RC Lens in the French 1st division, winning the French league title in 1998. He was targeted by Manchester United but broke his leg before any deals were made. As a result, he missed the 1998 World Cup. He recovered and got to play in the English Premier League when he moved to West Ham United in 1999.
He moved back to France to play for Olympique Lyonnais in 2000. In that same year, he suffered from a bout of malaria but recovered and went on to win the French league Cup in 2001 and the French league title in 2002. Foé made a return to the English Premier League when he was loaned to Manchester City where he had a successful season, scoring the team's last goal at their Maine Road stadium.
On June 26, 2003, Foé collapsed during the FIFA Confederations Cup semifinal between his country and Colombia, and despite immediate medical attention he died shortly afterward in hospital. The game was being played at the Stade Gerland in Lyon, the home stadium of Olympique Lyonnais. An autopsy later revealed the cause of death was a heart attack caused by an enlarged left ventricle. Doctors said the condition may have been congenital, and would have been virtually undetectable. Toxicological tests showed no traces of drugs in his system.
Foé's death caused a profound shock for the entire football world. Numerous tributes to the man's joyous personality and infectious humour have been expressed in the media. Many suggestions for ways to honour the life of Marc-Vivien Foé have been made: the Confederations Cup and the Stade Gerland may be renamed after him, and Manchester City manager Kevin Keegan has announced that the club will no longer use the number 23 shirt Foé wore during his successful season there. There has also been talk of renaming a stand at Manchester City's new ground, City of Manchester Stadium, in Foé's memory.
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