This feature was first published on 26 June 2023 on the 20th anniversary of Marc Vivien Foe's tragic death as we took a look back at his impact at City. Words: David Clayton Pictures: Kevin Cummins.
Almost 21 years ago I sat down to interview City’s new loan signing Marc Vivien Foe at the Blues’ Carrington training ground.
He was a giant of a man with a friendly smile, and dressed in his bucket hat, baseball top and jeans – he looked like he already absorbed the Mancunian vibe!
We shook hands, he sat down, and we began.
“Before we begin, Marc,” I said, “can you tell me if there is a hyphen between Marc and Vivien?”
Hyphens aren’t usually the first thing you ask a new player about, but I’d seen his name written both ways and it was something I wanted to get right as I would be writing a lot about him over the coming months in my role as official City Magazine editor - and seeing his gigantic frame up close, I didn’t want to upset him if I could possibly avoid it.
“No, no hyphen,” he answered. “You know, I haven’t a clue why some people write my name like that.”
With the point cleared up, I began the interview.
Like many new arrivals are, he was quiet, respectful, and perhaps a little shy. The interview went well but it wasn’t until we touched on American sports and his family that I began to get a glimpse of the real Marc Vivien Foe – likeable, warm and family orientated.
He lit up the room when he entered it and you couldn’t help but feel at ease and relaxed in his company.
As the season progressed, the City fans really began to warm to Marco as a player. At first the general opinion seemed to be that he was a little untidy and gave the ball away too often, but by November, now settled in to his role, he was looking like a completely different proposition.
He’d also begun to get into the opponents’ box more often and by the start of the New Year, he had become one of the Blues’ most consistent and important players. City supporters now had a real appreciation of Marco’s role in the side, and he’d quickly become a popular figure.
The many attacks he broke up and important headers he won in the middle of the park had become far more apparent and his work-rate was phenomenal. More importantly to the paying public, he always seemed to give his all in a City shirt.
For the first time in his career he was scoring goals regularly with a couple of strikes against Aston Villa and Everton particularly memorable around the festive period.
By the end of his season-long loan from Lyon, Marco had played 38 times and scored nine goals, including what turned out to be the Blues’ last goal at Maine Road – the third in a 3-0 win over Sunderland in our penultimate game at our former home - and had helped City to finish a more than respectable ninth on the return to the Premier League.