Muamba: My Recovery Is More Than A Miracle

Fabrice Muamba has described his recovery after suffering a cardiac arrest in front of thousands of football fans as "more than a miracle".

Bolton Wanderers midfielder's heart stopped beating naturally for 78 minutes after he collapsed unconscious during Bolton's FA Cup quarter-final at Tottenham Hotspur on March 17.

But the devout Christian, who stunned doctors after coming back to life, was fit enough to walk out of hospital just a month after his ordeal.

The 24-year-old Premier League star revealed he asked God to protect him before the cup clash, which was abandoned after his collapse.

"What happened to me was really more than a miracle," he told The Sun.

"On the morning of the game I prayed with my father and asked God to protect me - and he didn't let me down.

"I am walking proof of the power of prayer. For 78 minutes, I was dead and, even if I lived, was expected to have suffered brain damage.

"But I'm very much alive and sitting here talking now. Someone up there was watching over me."

Muamba revealed he was feeling "focused", "sharp" and "particularly fit" in the lead up to the game.

But, 41 minutes into the first half, the player said he started to feel dizzy and began seeing double before collapsing to the turf.

"It wasn't normal dizziness - it was a kind of surreal feeling like I was running along inside someone else's body," he said.

"I had no pain whatsoever. No clutching at my chest or tightness like you see when people have heart attacks in movies. Just an odd feeling that's impossible to explain.

"Then I started to see double. It was almost like a dream."

Reliving the moment his heart stopped in front of stunned fans, he added: "I just felt myself falling through the air and then felt two big thumps as my head hit the ground in front of me then that was it. Blackness, nothing. I was dead."

The former England Under-21 international said he had no recollection of the frantic treatment he received on the field or being rushed to the London Chest Hospital.

Among those who battled to keep him alive were Dr Andrew Deaner, a cardiologist and Tottenham fan who leapt from his seat in the crowd and rushed on to the pitch.

Muamba, who was unconscious for three days following his collapse, thanked the doctor, saying: "It was pure chance that Dr Deaner was in the crowd that day. I owe him everything.

"He is the reason I have been able to hold my baby son again and continue my life."

Muamba has been recovering with his three-year-old son Joshua and fiancee Shauna Magunday at home after being discharged from the hospital on Monday.

It is not yet known if he will return to competitive football.