Argos' Muamba named 109th Grey Cup MVP, Most Valuable Canadian

Toronto Argonauts linebacker Henoc Muamba made Canadian history at Mosaic Stadium, as he was named both the MVP and Most Valuable Canadian of the 109th Grey Cup game.

Muamba, who was born in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and raised in Mississauga, Ontario, is just the second Canadian to win both awards at a Grey Cup. He joins teammate Andrew Harris, who won both while playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2019.

"It's not even real," an emotional Muamba said through tears as he accepted the MVP trophy.

He added: "All I ever wanted to be is great, and I got some great guys around me."

Muamba was a force all over the field for an Argos defense that smothered Winnipeg the entire night. He came up with perhaps the biggest play of the game, an interception of Zach Collaros with just over three minutes left. The pick was the first play following Toronto's go-ahead touchdown drive and helped snuff out any hope of a Winnipeg comeback.

The St. Francis Xavier product is the third defensive player to win Grey Cup MVP since the award returned to its current format in 1991, joining the Baltimore Stallions' Karl Anthony in 1994 and the Saskatchewan Roughriders' James Johnson in 2007. Muamba is the first Argos player to earn the Canadian honor since Ricky Foley in 2012.

This is the first Grey Cup championship of Muamba's 11-year CFL career. He played in the 99th Grey Cup with Winnipeg but lost.