Remembering Marco

Remembering Marco

This feature was first published on 26 June 2023 on the 20th anniversary of Marc Vivien Foe's tragic death as we took a look back at his impact at City. Words: David Clayton Pictures: Kevin Cummins.

Almost 21 years ago I sat down to interview City’s new loan signing Marc Vivien Foe at the Blues’ Carrington training ground.

He was a giant of a man with a friendly smile, and dressed in his bucket hat, baseball top and jeans – he looked like he already absorbed the Mancunian vibe!

We shook hands, he sat down, and we began.

“Before we begin, Marc,” I said, “can you tell me if there is a hyphen between Marc and Vivien?”

Hyphens aren’t usually the first thing you ask a new player about, but I’d seen his name written both ways and it was something I wanted to get right as I would be writing a lot about him over the coming months in my role as official City Magazine editor - and seeing his gigantic frame up close, I didn’t want to upset him if I could possibly avoid it.

“No, no hyphen,” he answered. “You know, I haven’t a clue why some people write my name like that.”

With the point cleared up, I began the interview.

Like many new arrivals are, he was quiet, respectful, and perhaps a little shy. The interview went well but it wasn’t until we touched on American sports and his family that I began to get a glimpse of the real Marc Vivien Foe – likeable, warm and family orientated.

He lit up the room when he entered it and you couldn’t help but feel at ease and relaxed in his company.

As the season progressed, the City fans really began to warm to Marco as a player. At first the general opinion seemed to be that he was a little untidy and gave the ball away too often, but by November, now settled in to his role, he was looking like a completely different proposition.

He’d also begun to get into the opponents’ box more often and by the start of the New Year, he had become one of the Blues’ most consistent and important players. City supporters now had a real appreciation of Marco’s role in the side, and he’d quickly become a popular figure.

The many attacks he broke up and important headers he won in the middle of the park had become far more apparent and his work-rate was phenomenal. More importantly to the paying public, he always seemed to give his all in a City shirt.

For the first time in his career he was scoring goals regularly with a couple of strikes against Aston Villa and Everton particularly memorable around the festive period.

By the end of his season-long loan from Lyon, Marco had played 38 times and scored nine goals, including what turned out to be the Blues’ last goal at Maine Road – the third in a 3-0 win over Sunderland in our penultimate game at our former home - and had helped City to finish a more than respectable ninth on the return to the Premier League.

That would also be enough to qualify for the UEFA Cup (as then was) via the Fair Play League. Kevin Keegan wanted to make the deal permanent, and it seemed highly likely he would be a City player the following season.

His career had begun in Cameroon with Canon Yaoundé before he moved to Lens in 1994, making 85 appearances for the French Ligue 1 side. A broken leg cost him a move to Manchester United, but he finally moved to England when he joined West Ham in 1999 for a Hammers record of £4.2m.

He played 45 times for the Irons before returning to France after a £6m deal was agreed with Lyon. Another two years passed before he joined the Blues on loan, It seemed he was looking for a club where he felt he belonged and in City, many people believe he found it.

Yet going into the 2003 close season, there where varying reports of where Marco would actually end up plying his trade.

Lyon’s £7m price tag was no longer a stumbling block as it seemed the Cameroon star was available for free. Despite his agent Willie McKay indicating otherwise, there was still a strong feeling – or hope - in the blue half of the city that Marco would be walking out at the brand new City of Manchester Stadium in his cherished number 23 shirt having at last become an official City player.

Meanwhile, Marco was busy enhancing his reputation at international level, taking part in the Confederations Cup games against Brazil and Turkey in France before being rested for the final group game with the USA.

City’s sole interest focused on Cameroon with Marco and his good friend and team-mate Lucien Mettomo in action.

His influence for the Indomitable Lions seemed to grow every time he proudly pulled on the green and red jersey and at 28 years-old, the 63-times capped Marco seemed to be reaching his peak. There will be many City and West Ham fans who saw the Colombia game Marco took part in live on 26 June 2003, but thankfully, there will be many more who didn’t see the game.

Marco collapsed on the pitch during the game and, as he had fallen alone with no apparent reason, the seriousness of the situation quickly dawned on those watching in the stadium and on millions of televisions around the world. Speculation of heat exhaustion or the effects of a stomach bug and dehydration quickly circulated, but those reports were inaccurate.

Within a few hours, the dreadful news was confirmed that Marc Vivien Foe had died of heart failure while playing the game he loved.

It was a shocking tragedy, and the question was, how could this happen to such a seemingly fit athlete?

The football world and millions of others mourned the loss of Marco and the feeling was intensified at his most recent former clubs, particularly City, West Ham and current parent club Lyon. He left behind his wife Marie-Louise and three young children.

In the days following Marco’s death, tributes poured in from all over the world from players and fans alike and a picture began to form of this gem of a man whose life touched so many people.

The genuine affection people showed during that period must have been a source of great comfort to his grief-stricken family.

He thought the City fans were amazing and was always happy to sign autographs and attend training sessions for kids. He was keen to give back to the game that had seen him rise from the slums of his hometown in Nkolo to two World Cup tournaments and successful club careers in France and England.

Many believed he had found a spiritual home in Manchester and was looking forward to returning with his family.

As the Blues were in-between stadiums, Maine Road became the natural place for people to go and City’s home of some 80 years became a shrine for Marco in the days following his most untimely death with shirts, scarves, flowers, and messages covering the entrance and a wide area of the forecourt.

Though predominantly tributes from City fans, there are mementos from fans from all over Britain and beyond. It was both an amazing and sombre sight that has greeted the thousands of people making what, in effect, became a pilgrimage.

The Club took the step of retiring his number 23 shirt permanently as a mark of respect.

City fans have ensured that Marco will never be forgotten,  along with the supporters of West Ham United FC, we will pay our respects to a man who is still sadly missed two decades on.

Marco Tributes

Many people wanted to express their grief in the days after Marco’s death. Here are a selection…

"Marc was a great man and someone we all loved. He was our brother and we must continue playing for our brother. We must come to terms with this tragedy, but it will take so long." -Cameroon legend Roger Milla

"I am struggling to take it in. He was just 28 and you wouldn't meet a nicer bloke in football. Marc was a great player for West Ham and a terrific footballer. We grew close during his time at West Ham and often after we went our separate ways, he would phone me and joke 'Harry, I want to play in your team'. We are all deeply saddened by his loss. He was a fierce competitor on the pitch but he was harmless. He was a gentle giant. He will not have had an enemy anywhere except on the pitch, because he was such a strong competitor. He was a great young man. He wore a permanent smile and you couldn't help but like him. This is a sad day for football." - Harry Redknapp

“Marco was like a big brother, he was a rock, an extraordinary guy.”  - Gregory Coupet (France goalkeeper)

"Marco was a very private person though he wasn't averse to saying something when it needed saying. He was one of the most genuine likeable blokes you could ever meet and I know I speak for all the lads when I say that. You could say he was a gentle giant, an incredibly strong bloke, a great athlete with a great caring side, too. Marco looked out for all the kids on and off the pitch. Everyone liked him and that is unusual in a dressing room. You will not find anyone with anything but good things to say about him, we will all miss him.”  - Nicky Weaver

"I just can't believe it. Marc was such a genuine person; one of the most popular players in the squad at City and this is just tragic news. I was with him a few weeks ago at the end of the season and thought that I would see him at the start of the new season, because we all believed he would re-sign for City. What can I say? I know all the lads will miss him because he was a great character, one of the nicest men in the squad. He was an incredible athlete too. He had one of those physiques, which showed just how much he put into looking after himself. It is so unbelievable and I feel so sorry for his family, as do all the City players." - Robbie Fowler

“Our fans thought the world of him. He was a great guy to have around the club. Everyone loved him. He was instrumental in our success on our return to the Premiership and he got on well with everyone as a player and a friend. He always had a smile on his face and was humble as well. Foe also scored the last goal at Maine Road and he will go down in history for that." - Former City chairman John Wardle

"Marc was not only a special footballer but a very special person. You only have to look at the range of tributes that have come in to realise the regard and respect in which his fellow professionals held him. Not only will the player's football ability and his contribution to City's return to the Premiership be missed, but also his humanity and infectious personality which touched everyone at the club. We will all miss his smile and his personality. Nothing was ever too much trouble for him and he was the ultimate professional loved by everyone in the dressing room and the boardroom. He never gave this club less than 100 per cent and was a big factor in us finishing ninth in the table. He only missed two games all season, and one of those was to be at the birth of his new baby and also won the fans over. We are all distraught especially Arthur Cox who loved Marco. Our hearts go out to his young family and Manchester City will do all we can for them at this terrible time. I felt 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. You perhaps had to get to know Marco a bit to fully enjoy his personality - certainly his dress sense - but he was universally liked. Everyone knows what a wonderful player he was but more than that he was a fine human being. I will never forget the day I blasted him for not looking me in the eye when I was telling him something and the knock on the door that followed a few minutes later when he informed that where he came from if you respected someone you didn't look them in the eye! He had the ability to make us all smile and feel better. We will miss him."  - Kevin Keegan

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