Muamba quits five months after heart attack, but there will be a job at Bolton

By CHRIS WHEELER

Bolton will offer Fabrice Muamba the chance to stay at the club in a new role after the midfielder was forced to quit playing, five months after suffering a near-fatal heart attack on the pitch.

The decision was made after Muamba went to see leading cardiologist Pedro Brugada in Belgium last week. Although the routine clean-up operation went well, the 24-year-old was given the ‘devastating news’ that he would not be able to make a comeback.

Miracle recovery: Bolton's Fabrice Muamba suffered a heart attack in March

Back at Bolton: Muamba (centre) at a club 'family fun day' last Sunday

Torchbearer: Muamba carried the Olympic Flame through Waltham Forest

Bolton immediately offered Muamba their full support and will let him choose between a variety of opportunities. They are expected to range from club ambassador to a role in their education or community departments, although it is not yet clear whether his health will enable him to coach in future.

The club are anxious to give Muamba as much time as he needs, however, and he is under no pressure to work, with early retirement cushioned by a substantial insurance payout and his own prudent financial planning.

Fateful day: Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch at White Hart Lane in March

Helpless: Bolton and Spurs players, and Wanderers boss Owen Coyle (centre), watched the terrifying scenes unfold

Muamba's statement in full

'Since suffering my heart attack and being discharged from hospital, I have remained utterly positive in the belief I could one day resume my playing career and play for Bolton Wanderers once again.

'As part of my on-going recovery, last week I travelled to Belgium to seek further medical advice from a leading cardiologist.

'But the news I received was obviously not what I had hoped it would be and it means I am now announcing my retirement from professional football.

'Football has been my life since I was a teenage boy and it has given me so many opportunities.

'Above all else, I love the game and count myself very lucky to have been able to play at the highest level.

'While the news is devastating, I have much to be thankful for. I thank God that I am alive and I pay tribute once again to the members of the medical team who never gave up on me.

'I would also like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my career, and the Bolton fans who have been incredible.

'I am blessed to have the support of my family and friends at this time.'

Bolton manager Owen Coyle said: ‘We have spoken with Fab and he knows we will always support him in whatever he wants to do and that we will always be here for him. 

'We know that he will go on to achieve great things and within all this disappointment, the most important thing is that he is here, alive, today.’ 

The former England Under 21 international has remained open-minded about the possibility of playing again since he went into cardiac arrest on the pitch at White Hart Lane in March and was  effectively dead for 78 minutes.

A devout Christian, Muamba has always maintained that his future as a player lay in God’s hands and he would accept the outcome.

In a statement, he said: ‘While the news is devastating, I have much to be thankful for. I thank God that I am alive and I pay tribute once again to the members of the medical team who never gave up on me.

‘Football has been my life since I was a teenage boy and it has given me so many opportunities. Above all else, I love the game and count myself very lucky to have been able to play at the highest level.’ 

Muamba, who needed 15 defibrillator shocks to restart his heart following the incident on March 17, made a miraculous recovery at the London Chest Hospital and was discharged a month later.

Tributes: Hundreds of get-well messages were left for Muamba at Bolton's Reebok Stadium while he was in hospital

Rallying round: The football world united to send Muamba a get-well-soon message to the stricken Muamba

Thank you: Muamba with cardiologist Dr Andrew Deaner (left) and consultant cardiologist Dr Sam Mohiddin, the doctors who saved his life following his heart attack

He had a special defibrillator pacemaker fitted in case the problem recurred but Dr Leonard Shapiro, cardiology consultant to the FA, admitted that the risk of him playing again was too great.

Bolton midfielder Stuart Holden paid tribute to his team-mate on Twitter, writing: ‘Sad to hear my partner @fmuamba has to retire from football. U r an inspiration to so many bro and will be in whatever u choose to do #hero’ 

Not a dry eye in the house: Muamba made an emotional return to the Reebok Stadium in May

Not a dry eye in the house: Muamba made an emotional return to the Reebok Stadium in May

Miracle man: Muamba with his fiancee Shauna after his stunning recovery

And Muamba’s partner Shauna tweeted her appreciation to all the well-wishers who have helped him throughout the recovery.

She wrote: ‘Thanks for all the support. We’re looking forward to whatever the future holds.’

All smiles: Muamba received an Honorary Degree from Bolton University

Fabrice Muamba: From Kinshasa to the Premier League

1988: Born April 6 in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo).

1999: Moves to England at the age of 11, reuniting with his father who had earlier sought political asylum in the country due to civil war in his homeland.

2002: Joins the youth team set-up at Arsenal - the club he supported as a boy in his homeland - before graduating to their Academy two years later.

2005: Signs professional terms at Arsenal and makes the first of two first-team appearances for the club - both in the League Cup - against Sunderland on October 25.

2006: August - Joins Birmingham on a season-long loan and goes on to make 36 appearances on his way to winning the club's young player of the year award.

2007: May 11 - Makes his move to Birmingham permanent after the club agrees a reported £4million fee with Arsenal. 

August 21 - After representing England at every age level from Under-16s, Muamba is handed his England Under-21 debut in a friendly against Romania.

2008: June - Scores two goals in 37 league appearances in the 2007/08 season but cannot prevent Birmingham's relegation.

August 7 - Signs for Bolton after the Trotters agree a fee in excess of £5million with Birmingham for the midfielder.

2010: August 10 - Signs a new four-year contract at Bolton, committing him to the club until 2014.

2011: June - Represents England Under-21s at the European Championships in Denmark.

August 13 - Scores his third league goal for Bolton in his side's season-opening 4-0 demolition of QPR.

2012: March 17 - Muamba collapses in the 41st minute of Bolton's FA Cup tie with Tottenham at White Hart Line. He receives emergency treatment on the pitch and the match is subsequently abandoned. Bolton later confirm that Muamba is "critically ill" in intensive care at the London Chest Hospital.

March 19 - A Barts and the London NHS Trust statement confirms Muamba is showing signs of improvement and his heart is beating without the aid of medication. Bolton later announce Muamba has been able to recognise family members and respond to questions.

March 30 - Further signs of Muamba's improvement come when he is pictured for the first time since collapsing. In a message posted on Twitter by his girlfriend Shauna, Muamba is shown sitting up in his hospital bed and smiling.

April 16 - Muamba is discharged from the London Chest Hospital.

May 2 - Returns to the Reebok Stadium for the first time since his cardiac arrest. Enters the field to a standing ovation as he is introduced ahead of Wanderers' Premier League game against Tottenham and is overcome with emotion as he acknowledges the applause from all sides of the ground.

August 15 - Announces his retirement from football on medical advice.