Neil Warnock posted an emotional message on his social media accounts following the news of Sol Bamba’s death.
Former Middlesbrough defender Sol Bamba sadly died at the age of 39, with confirmation coming in the late hours of Saturday night.
Bamba, 39, spent one full season at the Riverside Stadium during the 2021-2022 campaign before being released at the end of his contract.
Former Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock posts emotional Sol Bamba message
Neil Warnock was the man responsible for bringing Bamba to Teeside, reuniting with him after a spell at Cardiff City.
Bamba’s time at Boro was brief, spending just one season at the club but he made a great impact and even scored in the FA Cup win against Manchester United as Middlesbrough progressed to the fifth round for the first time since 2015.
After hearing of the tragic news, Warnock posted to his X account in which he paid tribute to the “ray of sunshine”.
He wrote: “I can’t believe I won’t see that beaming smile again. I’m so happy that Sol was part of my life and we had such brilliant memories together.
“I’m heartbroken for Chloe and the family and all my thoughts are with them.
“Sol was a ray of sunshine and I’ll miss him so much.”
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Sol Bamba’s battle with illness
While playing for Cardiff, Bamba was formally diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
He underwent chemotherapy treatment and just five months later was told that he was cancer-free, eventually returning to play for the Championship rival before making the move to Boro in August 2021.
His wife, Chloe, mentioned his ongoing battle in an Instagram post paying tribute to her late husband.
She said: “For the last few years I have watched Sol fight his cancer head on with an astounding mental and physical strength and stoicism.
“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.”