Former Bolton Wanderers star, Fabrice Muamba, started his career in football at the age of 16. Just six years later, he suffered a near fatal heart attack on the pitch and was forced to rethink his career path. We speak to him about his life as a professional footballer, his dreams of becoming a journalist and the World Cup.
How did you get into the sport?
I started playing football in my school years, then one of my friends got into the Arsenal training programme, so I asked to go and watch him. When I went there, they liked what I had to offer. That really helped me to get into the team, and from there I joined the Arsenal youth academy.
Playing football became more serious when I left school, aged 16, and I realised my career was about to take off. I left education and I decided to pursue it full-time. It was hard and I had to train every day, but that's how my career really started. I've always enjoyed playing football and I think it was a great opportunity for me. I really cherish it.
I think I realised I could actually make a career out of playing football when I was given my first debut with the England under-21 team. It became more serious and blossomed from then on. I was at Arsenal for about three years and then I went to Birmingham City. After that, I went to Bolton Wanderers, and had to finish my career there after my accident in 2012.
After the heart attack, what did you think about your future?
I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen with my career, but my number one priority was to make sure I recovered fully. I went through lots of medical tests to see if I could come back to football. That wasn't meant to be, so I've been focusing on moving on and doing something different.
Football gave me some great opportunities, but I've since had to open my eyes to many things. I am studying journalism at Staffordshire University. I am also an ambassador for Barclays' LifeSkills programme, which helps young people gain vital job skills. The work they do really hit home to me because, since I retired from football, I've had to go back to the start again with my career and learn completely new skills. I appreciate how tough it can be.
What's your advice for young people thinking about pursuing a professional football career?
My number one piece of advice is that learning life skills is really important for young people – you've got to have those to progress. But also it's about not being limited to just one option; be open to other things and see what you feel comfortable with and really want to do. My advice to anyone who wants to get into football as a career is that you have to enjoy it first, and from there you see what happens.
What have you learned from changing careers?
Changing your career is a big adjustment, and something you might have to do, but at the same time it's exciting and something you've got to really go for. I'm really grateful for having so many opportunities and that I've been able to try different things. So that's my main advice: you've got to be open to trying lots of new things in order to succeed.
What are your plans for the future?
I will be finishing my journalism course next year, and right now I'm just making sure I get my degree done. Then I'll decide where I want to go. I will, of course, be watching the World Cup this summer, like everyone else. I'm still a football fan, so I will watch it and continue to do what I'm doing with Barclays and my degree.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To get more content and advice like this direct to your inbox, sign up for our weekly update and careers ebook.
