Modeste M’Bami, a former star for Cameroon and Paris Saint-Germain, unfortunately died at age 40 from a heart attack.
Between 2000 and 2009, the midfielder earned 39 international appearances for his nation.
At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, he and Cameroon won a gold medal.
Before he joined Marseille in 2006, he twice won the Coupe de France while playing for PSG.
In 2009, M’Bami underwent tryouts with Premier League clubs but finally joined Almeria in Spain.
Before returning to France to complete his career at Le Havre, he played in China, Saudi Arabia, and Colombia.
In 2016, he retired from active professional football.
On Sunday morning, PSG paid poignant homage to their late former player. The club’s statement read: “Paris Saint-Germain is in mourning.”
“Modeste M’Bami has passed away at the age of 40 after suffering a heart attack.”
“Paris Saint-Germain offers heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.”
Toifilou Maoulida, a former teammate from Marseille, sent a moving tribute by tweeting: “I just heard the sad news 😢😔.”
“He was more than a teammate, a wonderful friend always smiling… All my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones 🖤”
“Rest in peace Modeste M’Bami 🙏🏽🕊️🕯️.”
Gianni Infantino, the president of Fifa, also expressed his sympathy for M’Bami’s loss.
He posted a picture of the ex-player on Instagram and added: “Such sad news. RIP Modeste M’Bami.”
Another of M’Bami’s former clubs, Saudi side Ittihad, also posted a message on social media which read: “Farewell Modeste M’bami. You were a great football player.”
Modeste M’Bami
Cameroonian professional footballer Modeste M’bami (9 October 1982–7 January 2023) was a midfielder.
M’bami, a Yaoundé native who began his professional career playing for Dynamo Douala, was rapidly noticed by overseas teams.
At some point in the summer of 2000, M’bami joined Sedan. M’bami played 10 games in his first season in Division 1 and contributed to his team’s fifth-place result.
He played in 60 games over the course of the next two seasons after quickly becoming a team mainstay.
After the team was demoted to Ligue 2 in 2003, M’Bami made the decision to sign a €5 million, five-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain after his agent Willie McKay interrupted advanced negotiations with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
M’bami played alongside Lorik Cana, another promising defensive midfielder, during his debut season with Paris Saint-Germain, contributed significantly to the team’s successful season, in which Paris Saint-Germain finished second in Ligue 1 and won the Coupe de France, despite their inexperience.
The club’s 2004–05 season, during which M’bami battled an injury, was less successful.
While the team ended ninth in the league, M’Bami helped Paris Saint-Germain win another Coupe de France championship in the 2005–06 season.
After three years at Paris Saint-Germain, M’Bami left the club in August 2006. He signed a three-year contract with Marseille, continuing his midfield combination with Lorik Cana, who had joined the club the season before.
After his contract with Marseille expired in the summer of 2009, M’bami left the club. Since then, he has had trials with English Premier League teams Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Wigan Athletic.
After his deal with Marseille expired, he travelled to Spain on September 30, 2009, for a trial with UD Almera. Later, Almera confirmed the midfielder’s acquisition, and the Cameroonian player signed a deal with the Spanish club.
M’bami and Juanito were released by Almera in July 2011. He instantly received a loan to Changchun Yatai of the Chinese Super League after joining China League One team Dalian Aerbin.
M’bami visited Dalian Aerbin once again in 2012. He was unable to play for Dalian Aerbin for the 2012 league season owing to the restriction on international players. In July 2012, M’bami moved to the Saudi Premier League team Al-Ittihad.
He relocated to Colombia in 2014 and joined Millonarios in the country’s capital, Bogotá. M’bami was hired and then signed a contract for the 2014–15 campaign. He will serve as a defensive midfielder.
M’bami For Cameroun
In addition to helping his nation win the Olympic football competition in Sydney in 2000, M’bami scored the game-winning goal against Brazil in the quarterfinals.
He was also a member of the squad that helped Cameroon advance to the FIFA Confederations Cup finals in 2003 and the African Cup of Nations team that won its group in the opening round of competition in 2004 but was unable to advance to the semi-finals.
M’bami was also a member of the Cameroon national team, who came in second place to the Ivory Coast in its qualification group but was unable to go to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
