Enock Mwepu retires because of heart condition

Gutted is not the word. At the age of 24, Brighton midfielder Enock Mwepu has announced his retirement from football following the diagnosis of a hereditary heart condition.

The Albion wrote in an official statement: “The condition, which can worsen over time, would put Enock at an extremely high risk of suffering a potentially fatal cardiac event, if he were to continue playing competitive football.”

Tony Bloom said: “We are all absolutely devastated for Enock. He and his family have had a traumatic few weeks and while we are just thankful he has come through that period, he has seen such a promising career cut short at such a young age.”

“As a club we will give him all the love, help and support we possibly can to make a full recovery, and then as he decides on the next steps in his life.”

The first and obvious thing to say is that thank goodness the condition has been picked up now before something terrible could happen.

Mwepu will hopefully go onto live a long and happy life with the condition under control. A far better outcome than unknowingly putting himself at danger every day for the rest of his career.

He also has the support of the Albion and Seagulls fans. You know that the club will be doing everything they can to support Mwepu through what must be a dark experience for both him and his family.

The outpouring of sadness following the announcement shows the esteem in which Mwepu was held. In little over a season, he had become a hugely popular player for both his on-the-pitch abilities and his personality off it.

There were the goals he scored. Most notable was the winner of our WAB Goal of the Season Award 2021-22 away at Liverpool.

Mwepu was about to receive the ball a long way out from the Redmen goal. In a matter of seconds, he calculated that Alisson was off his line and that the low autumn sun setting behind the Kop would cause problems for the goalkeeper’s sight.

He then proceeded to produce the perfect looping shot with enough power to surprise Allison, which also dipped precisely between the crossbar and the outstretched hand of Liverpool’s number one.

Liverpool never really recovered from that Mwepu strike as Brighton dominated the second half, completing a famous comeback from 2-0 down to draw 2-2.

It was a goal that showcased why he was nicknamed The Computer by football fans in his native Zambia. His football intelligence was such that he could spot things other players could not, be it Alisson off his line and a setting sun or the perfect space to make an off-the-ball run into.

The second of those scenarios saw Mwepu strike in the 2-1 win at Arsenal in April. He popped up in exactly the right time at the right place to strike into the top corner from the edge of the box, rounding off a brilliant team move which had broken down the left hand side.

It was not just goals which Mwepu provided. Assists were his forte too. He was deployed out-of-position at Cardiff City in the League Cup, a round of Graham Potter Positional Roulette landing Mwepu with the role of right back.

From here, he produced a delicious 65 yard pass on the ground which carved through the Bluebirds defence and set Jakub Moder clear. Moder finished but it was a goal all about the Mwepu pass.

Coming off the bench against champions Manchester City two months later at the Amex, The Computer earned a penalty via sheer cleverness.

He found a gap in the Citizens defence to go through on goal. The angle though was too tight; it looked like Mwepu was going to run out of pitch and dribble the ball off as he attempted to get around Ederson.

Appearances can be deceptive. Instead, Mwepu lured Ederson into diving at his feet in an attempt to nick the ball. The Computer allowed himself to be caught, Kevin Friend pointed to the spot and Alexis Mac Allister pulled one back for the Albion.

Four days on from the 4-1 defeat to Manchester City, Enock Mwepu had his first Brighton goal. Another one of those impeccably timed runs away at Leicester in the League Cup saw him meet a Marc Cucurella cross with a glancing header.

Three days later came that goal at Anfield. At a time when Brighton hardly scored from midfield, Mwepu was a breath of fresh air.

When Enock Mwepu was voted WAB Brighton October 2021 Player of the Month, we wrote: “Here comes a bold prediction based on October – within three seasons, Mwepu will not be a Brighton player. He will have been sold for a club-record fee to one of the biggest clubs in Europe. Watch out Premier League, The Computer is only just booting up.”

It is the potential Mwepu had which makes his career being cut short in such circumstances particularly cruel. Brighton fans only saw glimpses of what Mwepu could do.

He had the world at his feet and was only going to get better once he had adapted to the unique demands of the Premier League.

Particularly enthralling was the prospect of Mwepu in a Roberto De Zerbi team. Throughout his managerial career, De Zerbi has favoured a 4-2-3-1.

With the best performances Enock Mwepu gave in a Brighton shirt coming when he was used as a number 10, he looked tailor made to fill that role behind Danny Welbeck. Now we will never find out just how good The Computer could have been.

The main devestation about the news though stems from Mwepu being a bloody lovely bloke. His social media updates about The Computer loading up were full of personality, a refreshing take in the bland world of representatives posting on behalf of their players.

He always had a smile on his face. It was infectious. You could tell just by looking at him how much playing football meant and how proud he was to be a Zambian who had made it to the Premier League.

"He stood strong to follow his dream of playing football at the highest level, and by the grace of God he lived his dream by reaching the Premier League." 💬

A statement from @EnockMwepu45. ⤵️

— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) October 10, 2022

Mwepu’s statement reflected the class act he is: “A boy from a small Zambian township called Chambishi has some news to share.”

“He stood strong to follow his dream of playing football at the highest level, and by the grace of God he lived his dream by reaching the Premier League.”

“Some dreams, however, come to an end so it is with sadness that I announce the need to hang up my boots because of the medical advice I have received. This is, however, not the end of my involvement with football. I plan to stay involved in some capacity.”

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that supported me in my football journey, including my wife and family, my agent 12MAN, the Zambian FA, all my previous clubs, team-mates and coaches and especially everyone at Brighton & Hove Albion.”

Hopefully, it is at Brighton where Mwepu does stay involved in football. Thank you for the memories, Mr Computer. The Albion will not forget you, no matter what happens next.