Even those of you who hate soccer have heard of the World Cup and David Beckham. But only the truly passionate have heard of the Confederations Cup and Marc-Vivien Foé.

The cup is an average-sized international soccer tournament and Foé is an over-sized soccer player, standing at 6 feet 4 inches. But that's not what makes him so unique.

It's his pride.

Two weeks ago, Foé and his Cameroon teammates found themselves in the semifinals of the tournament against Columbia. The game was a rematch of a 1990 World Cup game which Cameroon won 2-1, making them the first African team ever to reach the quarterfinals of the storied soccer tournament. The energy and courage displayed by the central African squad in Italy that summer earned them the nickname the Indomitable Lions.

Once again, the match was tight and intense, with Foé's Indomitable Lions up, 1-0 at halftime.

In the locker room, emotions ran wild for both teams. Foé, a veteran midfielder on the squad who joined the Cameroon national team four years after their Italia '90 run, stood up and gave a stirring speech.

Foé told his mates they must win the match, even if it meant dying on the pitch.

And in the most unfortunate of coincidences, that's exactly what happened.

Foé's imposing stature would never again stand in front of his teammates to deliver a halftime speech. His long shadow would never again grace the game and field he so loved after he collapsed midway through the second half, falling to his knees, and then into unconsciousness.

They say his heart stopped working - weeks later they found he'd had a heart attack.

His coach said he was about to substitute him, but Foé wanted to stay on the field and give everything he had to ensure victory. He did.

Foé died as his team outlasted the Colombians and secured a berth into the final match.

Here's where the Indomitable Lions distance themselves from others who would have folded in the face of such dire times.

Against the greatest of odds, under the shadow of death, the team played on. They played on in remembrance, and they played on with pride.

They unleashed their emotions into the final match, forcing the '98 World Cup Champions and host team France into overtime, only to lose 1-0.

It was fitting that France's game-winning goal was scored by French striker Thierry Henry. After scoring in the second semifinal against Turkey on Thursday, Henry dedicated the goal to Foé by pointing a single finger toward the clouds and bowing his head.

For the second time in five years, French fans witnessed Les Bleus take the trophy. But after the game, there was no rousing celebration. Instead of taking a victory lap around the stadium, the champion French team joined the Indomitable Lions in the center circle in silent prayer. Instead of hoisting up the trophy in victorious jubilee, they hoisted a picture in silence and remembrance of their fallen brother.

A group of lions is called a pride. And whether stalking on the Serengeti or streaking after a ball on the pitch, the pride sticks together.

An interesting behavioral characteristic of lions can be found in the way they greet one another. When approaching each other, one will lean heavily into the other, nearly knocking the other one over.

Now more than ever, the Indomitable Lions will need each other to lean on after Foé's shocking and saddening death. But be assured these Lions will not fall, and instead, stand strong together - the same way Foé remained as strong and courageous as a lion in the final hour of his life. He gave his all for the teammates, country and the game he loved.

He gave his pride.

Jonathan Malavolti is State News opinion editor. He can be reached at malavol2@msu.edu.