Story highlights
Fabrice Muamba was able to watch some of Bolton's 2-1 win against Blackburn
The midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest during a match with Tottenham on March 17
Bolton manager says Muamba is becoming aware of the support he's received
Muamba is still in intensive care at a London hospital but is making progress
Just one week after suffering an on-field cardiac arrest, soccer player Fabrice Muamba was able to watch most of his team Bolton’s emotional victory over English Premier League relegation rivals Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
“The fact he was able to watch a large part of the game, given where we were a week ago, is great news,” Bolton manager Owen Coyle told the club’s website on Monday.
“He was pleased that his teammates won the match, although he fell back asleep when the score was 2-0.”
The 23-year-old midfielder’s heart stopped for 78 minutes following his collapse during the previous weekend’s FA Cup quarterfinal against Tottenham, which will be replayed on Tuesday following its initial abandonment at halftime.
Bolton beat Blackburn 2-1, boosting the club’s hopes of staying in the top division.
Fans lay shirts outside the stadium showing their support for Muamba before the match, then inside they held up cards which spelled out his name and shirt number in a huge mosaic.
His continued recovery has been described by the head of world football, FIFA president Sepp Blatter, as “a miracle” and his plight has attracted international attention, with players across Europe taking to the field in t-shirts expressing support for the Kinshasa-born player.
“In the last 48 hours he is beginning to become aware of the global response, and he is overwhelmed by all the support,” Coyle said.
“His family continue to spend time with Fabrice and a couple of players will visit him over these next few days to represent the squad. He is still in intensive care and it’s important that he doesn’t have too many visitors as he continues his recovery, step by step.”
The London Chest Hospital, where Muamba is being treated, confirmed that he is making progress.
“His condition is serious but stable,” it said in a joint statement with Bolton. “He continues to make encouraging progress in his recovery.
“Over the weekend, he has been able to sit out of bed for a short time, watch television and has begun to eat. However, he will need to continue to be closely monitored by the medical team here for some time.”
Born in what is now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Muamba came to the UK with his family in 1999 at the age of 11 and went on to captain England’s Under-21 team.
He made his name at Birmingham before joining Bolton in 2008.
