Cardiff City legend Sol Bamba has passed away aged 39
Cardiff City legend Sol Bamba has died at the age of 39.
The former Bluebirds defender, who took charge of Turkish 1.Lig side Adanaspor last month, was taken ill before his team’s match against Manisa BBSK on Friday and later died in hospital, the club has confirmed.
A statement from Adanaspor posted on Saturday night read: “Our Technical Director Souleymane Bamba, who fell ill before the Manisa Football Club match played yesterday, was taken to Manisa Celal Bayar University Hospital and unfortunately lost his battle for life there. Our condolences to his family and our community.”
Bamba spent five years with Cardiff as a player before returning as assistant to ex-boss Sabri Lamouchi in 2023. Having studied his coaching badges in Wales, his move to Turkey was his first move into management.
The Ivorian, who also represented the likes of PSG, Leeds United and Leicester City during his 18-year career, became a hero among Bluebirds fans following his move to the Welsh capital in 2016, helping them to promotion to the Premier League in his first season.
He went on to make 112 appearances for the Bluebirds and scored 10 goals. The tragic news has stunned the football world, with tributes already pouring in for the Cardiff City legend.
Bamba was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2021 while at Cardiff City, but was initially declared cancer-free months later and returned to play. However, his wife Chloe has now confirmed he had been battling the disease and has lost his fight.
She said: “Unfortunately, it was never a fair fight and just when things were looking up he took a downturn and finally succumbed on 31st August.
“These years have been indescribably difficult but we still managed to find joy and laughter in it. I’ve experienced my worst days but also some of my best. Sol accepted his fate as God’s will and left this earth knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was loved wholeheartedly. I made sure of that.”
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