Valéry Mézague
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Valéry Mézague (8 December 198315 November 2014) was a Cameroonian professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
. Mézague was born in the 5th arrondissement of Marseille in 1983, to a Cameroonian mother. He acquired French nationality on 16 September 1997, through the collective effect of his mother's
naturalization Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...
. He represented
Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
at international level. His most notable moment with the ''Lions Indomptables'' was at the
2003 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup football tournament was the sixth FIFA Confederations Cup, held in France in June 2003. France retained the title they had won in 2001, but the tournament was overshadowed by the death of Cameroon player Marc-Vivi ...
, where he became the starter central midfielder in the lost final against host
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, after replacing the late Marc-Vivien Foé during the victorious semi final versus
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
. In 2003, he was involved in a serious car crash which ruled him out of the game for four months. Despite this, he fought back to reclaim his form and his performances attracted the attention of
Harry Redknapp Henry James Redknapp (born 2 March 1947) is an English former association football, football manager (association football), manager and player. He has previously managed AFC Bournemouth, West Ham United F.C., West Ham United, Portsmouth F.C., ...
, with Mézague joining Portsmouth F.C. on loan for the 2004–05 season. However, he failed to make any sort of substantial impression and returned to France in June 2005, where he followed his former manager at Portsmouth
Alain Perrin Alain André Christian Perrin (; born 7 October 1956) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player. Perrin made his managerial breakthrough at Troyes AC, Troyes, whom he took from t ...
to
FC Sochaux-Montbéliard Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard (; commonly referred to as FCSM or simply Sochaux) is a Football in France, French association football club based in the city of Montbéliard. The club was founded in 1928 and currently plays in Championnat N ...
. His younger brother, Teddy, is also a footballer. He was found dead in his apartment on 15 November 2014, due to a
cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...
caused by a heart disease.


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* * * 1983 births 2014 deaths Footballers from Marseille Cameroonian men's footballers 21st-century Cameroonian sportsmen Naturalized citizens of France French men's footballers Cameroon men's international footballers Cameroonian expatriate men's footballers Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in England 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2004 African Cup of Nations players Montpellier HSC players Portsmouth F.C. players FC Sochaux-Montbéliard players Le Havre AC players LB Châteauroux players Panetolikos F.C. players French sportspeople of Cameroonian descent Premier League players Ligue 1 players Vannes OC players Ligue 2 players Bury F.C. players English Football League players Expatriate men's footballers in England Men's association football midfielders 21st-century French sportsmen {{Cameroon-footy-midfielder-stub