At the second stage of the J.League, Patrick Mboma will have only one thing on his mind: goals. While this is natural for any forward, it would be understandable if the Tokyo Verdy striker’s thoughts were elsewhere. Mboma was devastated by the death of midfielder and Cameroon compatriot Marc-Vivien Foe at the Confederations Cup in France on June 26.
« I realized that it is something that can happen to anybody at any time, » Mboma said this week, ahead of Saturday’s second-stage opener against the Yokohama F Marinos.
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« It makes me realize I have to think about death and negative things. When you play, and especially when you are successful, you think everything is OK and nothing can happen, but Foe’s case proves that life is different to what we sometimes expect. »
Foe, 28, was playing in a semifinal match against Colombia at Lyon when he collapsed on the pitch with a heart attack and died shortly after the game.
Mboma, a former African Player of the Year, was not in the squad for the tournament as he was recovering from injury, but traveled from Japan to France as soon as he learned of the tragedy.
A teammate of Foe’s for about eight years, Mboma sat on the Cameroon bench during the final against France, and was then a major figure in the funeral services and tributes that followed.
Asked if life was back to normal seven weeks on, Mboma replied: « Almost, but things can never be the same.
« I do not think I have changed dramatically, only in my consideration of what life can be. I am still the same sportsman and I want to keep on enjoying my life and my job. I want to go on playing and taking pleasure on the pitch. »
This Wednesday, another tragedy hit the Mboma family when Patrick’s father-in-law died in Paris-partly, Mboma feels, due to the current heat wave in Europe.
Another reason for Mboma not to be fully focused on the pitch?
« I try to separate both, » said the 32-year-old father of four.
« Last year I lost a big friend of mine who was a soccer player, and when I started the season my father died.
« I’ve tried to build my strength and to have more energy. I’ve got a big chance to be in good health, and I have my kids who help me realize that life can be fantastic. I try to think positive all the time. »
This will certainly be the case for Mboma on Saturday. He scored eight times for Verdy in the first stage and wants to match his 1997 tally of 25 for Gamba Osaka, his first season in Japan.
« In the second stage I have 15 games to score 17 goals. It will not be easy, but it is not impossible. I will try, » he said.
By JEREMY WALKER
