Fabrice Muamba grew up in the Congo. When Fabrice was very young, his father had to flee the country because his life was in danger. Fabrice’s father found safety in Britain, but it was three years before his family were able to join him. Fabrice was eleven years old when he arrived in the UK, and he found it very cold. He said, “It was the first time I had seen snow. I was shivering when I got off the plane, but it was worth it. We saw my father and we all ran up to each other and started hugging. It was the start of our new life.” 49

Fabrice had a big scare in 2012 when he had a heart attack during a match between Bolton Wanderers and Spurs. His heart stopped beating for over 70 minutes, but he didn’t die. He had to retire from football after his heart attack, and so he went to university to study sports journalism. Fabrice has had to deal with many problems in his life, but he has stayed strong.

Shefki Kuqi was a striker for teams including Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United. He had to flee from a terrible war in Kosovo when he was twelve. He moved to Finland with his family. He said that when they had to leave Kosovo, “Everybody was feeling sad and crying – it was like being at a funeral. I didn’t really understand what was happening; all I knew was that I had to leave my home and all my friends.”

Shefki played for his new country Finland 62 times. He had a special way of celebrating when he scored a goal. He would pretend to glide like a bird and then crash to the ground in a belly flop. The move led to him being called the “Flying Finn”.

50

Chapter 5

Five words

Jordan didn’t get over being taken off in the last match against Yew Tree. Jack Rigby had something to say to the team before the last game of the season. It was against Riverside United.

“There is no Jordan today,” Jack told them. “His dad phoned me. He’s quit the team.”

Sam saw Hasan looking at him.

“It’s no surprise, is it?” Sam said. “Jordan never wanted you and Faisal to join.” 51

Hasan pulled a face. Faisal didn’t seem to hear.

“We’ll have to win without Jordan,” Jack said.

“So who’s going to be captain?” Sam asked.

Jack grinned. “You.”

It wasn’t going to be easy to beat Riverside. They were already champions and the best team in the league. Not only that. If Celtic lost, they might be going down into the lower division.

“How many games have we won all season?” Hasan asked.