'I was gone, but this one thing brought me back' - the footballer who collapsed on the pitch on his lifesaver

'Without it, I simply wouldn't be here today'.

Time slowed at 6.13pm on a Saturday in March, 2012, during an FA Cup tie between Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. But it wasn't because of a screaming goal or heroic save.

The north London stadium fell silent as a wave of horror unfolded. The then-23-year-old midfielder Fabrice Muamba had collapsed - and his heart stopped beating.

The match was abandoned, and Muamba's heart remained still for the next 78 minutes following a cardiac arrest. But if one lifesaving thing hadn't happened, his heart may never have started again.

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"Before I collapsed in 2012, I was just Fabrice," he said. "Afterwards I was the miracle man. I was gone, but CPR brought me back.”

CPR is cardiopulmonary resuscitation - a critical move to pump the chest down to keep oxygen following from the heart. There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, equating to at least five every 90 minutes. Each minute that passes without CPR reduces the chance of survival by up to 10 per cent.

Cardiac arrest usually happens without warning and without immediate treatment, the person suffering an arrest will die. Tragically, less than one in ten people survive, often because those around them lack the skills or confidence to perform CPR.

Thankfully, medically trained staff, a St John Ambulance unit, and a consultant cardiology who happened to be in the crowd as a fan, rushed to the goal-scorer's aid.

Muamba was administered CPR and oxygen before being taken to hospital. The footballer credits that quick action with saving his life.

More than a decade on, he is still alive and has become a face for campaigns about heart health - including Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) Every Minute Matters campaign. Every Minute Matters aim of recruiting 270,000 people to learn the lifesaving skill in 12 months - the equivalent of three Wembley Stadiums - with 27,000 having taken part so far.

You can learn lifesaving CPR in just 15 minutes with RevivR, the BHF’s free and easy to use digital tool in just 15 minutes - the length of the half-time interval.

The former Bolton player said: “This campaign is really personal to me, without CPR I simply wouldn’t be here today."

Ahead of Bolton’s play-off final showdown with Oxford United, Muamba joined with current Bolton players Randell Williams and Josh Dacres-Cogley to encourae the nation to learn CPR. Williams and Dacres-Cogley teamed up with Muamba at the Toughsheet Community Stadium to learn CPR themselves.

Muamba continued: “It’s great to come back to Bolton and I’m delighted that Josh and Randell have taken the time out in a busy week to help me raise awareness and spread the message that anyone can learn CPR. I’d love Bolton to win on Saturday, but what would make me even happier is if every fan watching the game took a few minutes to learn CPR. That really would be something incredible.”

Bolton full back Josh Dacres-Cogley said: “It was great to meet Fabrice... his story made a huge impact on football because at the time it was so unexpected and shocking. It showed that in the football world we need to be more aware of the dangers of cardiac arrest and how to use CPR to potentially save someone’s life.

He continued: “But it’s not just about football, you might need to use CPR in any walk of life, whether that’s in the street or in your workplace. It’s why, I think everyone should take just 15 minutes to learn CPR.”

Bolton winger, Randell Williams, said: “It’s been really interesting and educational to learn CPR. Often people can be scared to use CPR, but what I learned today is that it’s actually pretty straightforward. I’d urge all Bolton fans to step up and show their support by learning CPR with the help of the BHFs simple training video."

But it's not only Muamba backing the British Heart Foundation campaign - he is joined by other footballing faces who have been affected by heart health. That includes a 're-starting eleven', featuring the likes of Graeme Souness, the former Liverpool FC player and manager was diagnosed with coronary heart disease after three of his arteries were blocked. Throughout his life, Graeme has undergone several operations and has suffered from a heart attack.

Glenn Hoddle is on board as a former Tottenham Hotspur legend, and Chelsea and England manager, who suffered a cardiac arrest in October 2018 shortly after filming in the BT Sports studio. Glenn’s life was saved by sound engineer Simon Daniels who administered CPR and utilised the on-set defibrillator.

Tom Lockyer, the Welsh international footballer, has also joined the campaign after he collapsed playing for Luton Town during last year’s Sky Bet EFL Championship play-off final. Lockyer experienced an atrial flutter and underwent a procedure to treat it. After being given the all clear to return to football, he suffered a cardiac arrest during a Premier League match against Bournemouth in December 2023. His life was saved by club medics who rushed to perform CPR and provide early defibrillation.

Just across Greater Manchester, Wigan Athletic striker Charlie Wyke is too backing the heart charity, after he suffered a cardiac arrest during training and his heart stopped beating for four minutes in November 2021. Wyke’s life was saved thanks to immediate action by then Wigan boss Leam Richardson who performed CPR until club doctor Jonathan Tobin took over. He now has an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to monitor his heart rhythm.

Fundraising is already well under way with Sky Bet donating £10,000 for every goal scored in the Sky Bet Play-Offs. Bolton’s five goals have played a significant role, contributing £50,000 to a total of £250,000 in donations from Sky Bet thanks to the 25 goals that have been scored so far in this year’s play-offs. The goal stands at £3m.