Kevin Keegan has paid his own tribute to Marc-Vivien Foe, saying he was a special person who was surrounded by love. A distraught Keegan was too upset to comment last night after Foe collapsed and died during Cameroon’s Confederations Cup clash with Columbia.
But he has today spoken of his immense sadness at the loss of a player he signed on loan and had hoped to make a permanent member of his Manchester City squad.
‘We will miss his smile’
« Marc was not only a special footballer but a very special person. You only have to look at the range of tributes that have come in to realise the regard and respect in which his fellow professionals held him,” he said.
« We will all miss his smile and his personality. Nothing was ever too much trouble for him and he was the ultimate professional loved by everyone in the dressing room and the boardroom.
“He never gave this club less than 100% and was a big factor in us finishing ninth in the table.
“He only missed two games all season and one of those was to be at the birth of his new baby. We are all distraught, especially Arthur Cox who loved Marco.
‘Privilege to work with’
« Our hearts go out to Marco’s young family and Manchester City will do all we can for them at this terrible time. »
Keegan added that Foe was one of those rare breed of players who transcend club rivalries to be universally liked by the whole football community.
« I felt it was a privilege to work with him for the past year and we were still in the process of trying to negotiate a deal that would have made him a City player,” he said.
« You perhaps had to get to know Marco a bit to fully enjoy his personality – certainly his dress sense – but he was universally liked. Everyone knows what a wonderful player he was but more than that he was a fine human being. I think the warmth of his fellow professionals, as witnessed by the reaction of the French players last night, says more than anything I can say about the love that surrounded Marco.
« I will never forget the day I blasted him for not looking me in the eye when I was telling him something and the knock on the door that followed a few minutes later when he informed me that where he came from if you respected someone you didn’t look them in the eye. He had the ability to make us all smile and feel better. We will miss him. »
