Muamba puts recovery after ‘death’ in match down to power of prayer

Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba has relived the moment he “died” in front of thousands of football fans, and described his recovery as “more than a miracle”.

The Premier League star’s heart stopped beating naturally for 78 minutes during Bolton’s FA Cup quarter-final at Tottenham Hotspur on Mar 17.

But Muamba, 24, stunned doctors after coming back to life, and was able to walk out of hospital just a month later.

Muamba, a devout Christian, revealed he had asked God to protect him before the match.

“Someone up there was watching over me,” he said. “What happened to me was really more than a miracle.

“On the morning of the game, I prayed with my father and asked God to protect me — and he didn’t let me down.”

“I am walking proof of the power of prayer.”

Muamba revealed he was feeling “focused”, “sharp” and “particularly fit” in the lead up to the game.

But 41 minutes into the first half he started to feel dizzy and began seeing double before collapsing.

“It wasn’t normal dizziness — it was a kind of surreal feeling, like I was running along in someone else’s body,” he said.

The footballer, who now has a 7cm scar on his chest where doctors inserted a zapper to restart his heart if it ever stops again, wept during the interview.

Reliving the moment his hear, he added: “I just felt myself falling through the air and then felt two big thumps as my head hit the ground in front of me then that was it. Blackness, nothing. I was dead.”

He said he had no recollection of the treatment he received on the field, or of being rushed to the London Chest Hospital.

Among those who battled to keep Muamba alive was Dr Andrew Deaner, a cardiologist and Tottenham fan who leapt from his seat in the crowd and rushed on to the pitch.

Muamba paid tribute to the doctor, saying: “It was pure chance Dr Deaner was in the crowd that day. He is the reason I am able to hold my baby son again and continue my life.”

It is not yet known if Muamba will play again.