Background and career
Marc-Vivien Foé (French pronunciation: [maʁk vivjɛ̃ fo.e]; 21 May 1975 – 26 June 2003) was a Cameroonian professional footballer, who played as a defensive midfielder.
Having initially played for Canon Yaoundé, Foé went on to play professionally in Ligue 1 and the Premier League with Lens, West Ham United, Lyon and Manchester City. On 26 June 2003, Foé died suddenly during an international match for Cameroon, an event which shocked the football community worldwide. The death was later ruled to be due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He was capped 62 times by his nation and had scored 8 goals.
He was posthumously decorated with the Commander of the National Order of Valour and had his shirt numbers 23 and 17 retired by Manchester City and Lens, respectively.
