Fabrice Muamba (born 6 April 1988) is an English footballer. He is a midfielder, and currently plays for Bolton Wanderers.
Muamba was born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). His father fled the country in 1994 because of his political views and arrived in England seeking asylum. In 1999 he was granted indefinite leave to remain, at which time he was joined by the rest of the family. They settled in Stratford, London, where Muamba went to Rokeby school for boys Despite having arrived in England aged 11 unable to speak English, he went on to take A-levels, and excelled in school football.
Muamba was associated with Arsenal's youth system as a schoolboy from 2002, joining their Academy as a first-year scholar in August 2004. He signed his first professional contract in October 2005. On 25 October 2005 he made his first team debut in a League Cup tie against Sunderland, in front of a 47,000 crowd at the Stadium of Light.
In August 2006, Muamba joined Birmingham City on a season-long loan. After a slow start, his energetic style of play, which has been likened to that of his hero Patrick Vieira, impressed his manager enough to establish him as a regular starter in central midfield. The fans were equally impressed, voting him their Young Player of the Season.
On 11 May 2007 Muamba made his move to Birmingham City permanent, signing a three-year contract for a fee reported by the club of £4 million. He scored his first goal for the club, a close-range volley from a corner, on 12 March 2008, in a 4–2 defeat at Portsmouth.He made 37 appearances as Birmingham were relegated from the Premiership after one season back in the top tier.
On 16 June 2008 Muamba signed for Bolton Wanderers for a fee of £5 Million with add-ons worth approximately £750,000. He signed a four-year contract with the Premiership club.