Remembering Marco

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.