Sol Bamba’s wife paid tribute to her husband, remembering the “astonishing mental and physical strength” he showed in his “unfair battle” with cancer.
The former Cardiff City, Leeds, Leicester and Ivory Coast defender tragically passed away yesterday at the age of just 39.
Turkish club Adanaspor announced the news in a statement on X, which read: “Our technical director Souleymane Bamba, who fell ill yesterday before the match of Manisa Football Club, was transferred to Manisa Celal Bayar University Hospital where he unfortunately lost his battle for life.
“Our condolences to his family and our community.”
And now the ex-footballer’s wife has released a heartbreaking statement describing his battle with cancer.
Sol Bamba’s wife has paid tribute to her husband, remembering the ‘amazing mental and physical strength’ he showed
The former Leeds, Cardiff and Middlesbrough defender has died at the age of 39
She wrote on Instagram: ‘Over the past few years I have watched Sol battle his cancer with amazing mental and physical strength and stoicism.
Unfortunately it was never a fair fight and just when things were getting better, things went downhill and on August 31st he succumbed.
“These years have been indescribably difficult, but we have found joy and fun in them. I have had my worst days, but also some of my best.
‘Sol accepted his fate as God’s will and left this earth knowing, without a doubt, that he was loved with all his heart. I made sure of that.
It was an honor to have loved and been loved by Sol. I learned so much from him. He is my hero.
“My heart breaks. What a gift, what a gift, what a gift to be loved by him.”
The post was accompanied by a photo of Bamba on vacation, and another photo of the couple together.
The footballer was previously diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare form of cancer, on Christmas Eve 2020. He has reportedly since recovered.
The Instagram post was accompanied by a photo of Bamba on vacation
However, Turkish media Hurriyet reported that he “fell ill before the match against Manisa FK due to a relapse of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”
The former defender was a popular figure in English football, playing for the likes of Leicester City, Leeds, Cardiff City and Middlesbrough.
After retiring in 2022, Bamba moved into coaching, becoming assistant manager at his former club Cardiff, before moving to Turkish club Adanaspor.
The 39-year-old had been the club’s technical director since the summer until his untimely death.
Many of Bamba’s former clubs have already paid tribute to the French-born central defender.
Cardiff City, for whom he played the majority of his active career, released a moving statement on X, reading: ‘It is with the deepest sadness that we have learned tonight of the passing of club legend Sol Bamba.
‘As a player and coach, Sol’s impact on our football club was immeasurable. He was a hero to us all, a leader in every dressing room and a true gentleman.
“Our thoughts are with his friends, family and everyone who was lucky enough to know and love Sol.”
Cardiff City released a tribute saying: ‘As a player and coach, Sol’s impact on our football club was immeasurable’
Bamba was captain of Leeds United during his time at the club in 2016
Many of Bamba’s former clubs have paid tribute to the 39-year-old, including Leeds, where he captained the team
Leeds wrote on X: ‘Everyone at #LUFC is shocked to hear of the passing of former #LUFC captain Sol Bamba.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends at this tragic time. Rest in peace Sol, you will be in our hearts forever.
Middlesbrough also paid tribute to their former player on X: ‘We are shocked to hear that Sol Bamba has passed away at the age of 39.
‘Our thoughts are with Sol’s family and friends at this time. RIP Sol.’ ‘Our thoughts are with Sol’s family and friends at this time. RIP Sol.’
Turkish club Galatasaray also expressed its condolences, posting a tribute that read: ‘We were saddened to learn of the passing of Adanaspor technical director Sol Bamba.
“We express our condolences to the family, loved ones and community of Adanaspor.”
Bamba grew up in Paris and that is where his love for the game began. He started his career in the youth academy of Paris Saint-Germain, but then decided to move to Scotland. There he played for Dunfermline and later Hibernian.
His affair with English football began in 2011 when he joined Leicester City, where he played under Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Bamba paid tribute to his former manager after he passed away earlier this week at the age of 76.
He wrote on X: ‘Deeply shocked by the news of Sven’s passing today. He was not only an outstanding person but also the best coach I have ever had, inspiring my journey as a player but also as a manager.
“My sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. Rest in peace, Sven.”
The two had a good relationship, having previously worked together at the Ivory Coast national team, where the Swedish manager also trained Bamba.
He then left England and played for Trabzonspor and Palermo, before returning in 2015 to play for Leeds.
His captaincy at Leeds came to an abrupt end in 2016 when he moved to Cardiff City, where he made 118 appearances for the club.
While in Wales, Bamba was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a rare form of cancer.
The central defender battled the aggressive form of cancer for four months by undergoing chemotherapy.
“After the first chemo I was down for four days,” he told Mail Sport in 2022.
“I couldn’t get out of bed. I lost weight. Then I said to my wife, ‘I’m not going for round two.’ The way I was, at that moment, it was terrible.
Bamba moved to Cardiff City from Leeds in 2016, where he made 118 appearances for the club.
Since retiring in 2022, Bamba has returned to Cardiff and taken up a role as assistant manager for his former club
Bamba made a triumphant return in the final game of the 2020-21 season and subsequently signed for Middlesbrough in preparation for the 2021-22 season.
He played 28 games and even scored the winning penalty in the FA Cup fourth round match against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
He said of the experience: ‘When I was having chemotherapy I never thought for a moment that I would come back and play. And I never thought about scoring penalties at Old Trafford – nights like that seemed a million miles away.’
