“Marc-Vivien Foe will leave us the memory of a charming boy, the incarnation of the joy in life. We will keep of him his bursts of laughter. We will not forget you.”
These were the words of former French champions Lyon, following the death of African legend Marc-Vivien Foe 22 years ago. The Cameroonian Midfield General was only 28 years when his life was tragically cut short due to a Heart attack in the 72nd minute of a Confederation Cup match against Colombia. Following his loss of consciousness, Foe was stretchered of the pitch and attempts were made to resuscitate him but all to no avail. Such was the sad and abrupt passing of this icon.
At just 28 years of age, Foe’s trophy cabinet was already quite weighty as he had won the AFCON twice in 2000 & 2002, Ligue 1 twice with RC Lens and Olympique Lyon, both of whom he also helped to win the French league cup. he also won the UEFA Intertoto cup with Westham United. Having stacked up this many Laurels before his passing, one must wonder how much more he might have achieved had his life and career not been cut short. 
As a final tribute to the African icon, Manchester City retired the number 23 shirt, owing to the fact that Foe was on loan with them from Lyon for a fee of 700,000 euros at the time of his death.
“Nothing was ever too much trouble for him and he was the ultimate professional loved by everyone in the dressing room and the boardroom.” “It was a privilege to work with him for the past year and we were still in the process of trying to negotiate a deal that would have made him a City player.” Said the then Manchester City boss Kevin Keegan, hinting that there might’ve been a possibility for him to join them on a permanent basis. Who knows what he could’ve gone on to achieve had this 6 ft 2 African Goliath had been given the chance to boss the City’s midfield for just a little while longer? Marc left his mark not just with City but also with RC Lens as they also retired the number 17 shirt to honour his memory.
For some, the saddest part of Foe’s passing is the fact the his life’s work would go incomplete. He was in the process of building a sports complex and school in the eastern outskirts of his home town Yaounde in Cameroon. It was to be his Legacy, his gift to his people and a precious resource for budding young footballers in a part of the world where they got little to no help. Sadly, Foe never got to finish it and it became his final resting place. Foe’s burial was a grand affair, a military burial for someone who was considered a national hero by the Cameroonian people as tens of thousands filled the streets to witness his funeral procession.
Marc-Vivien Foe was an amazing footballer, a national icon and an example of the kind of greatness Africa can produce. His statue in Yaounde still stands to this day and serves as a reminder of the beautiful life he lived, the lives he touched and is still touching today. Rest on Marc. We will never forget.
