Stephen Dunmoye 

 


Former Ivory Coast defender, Souleymane Bamba has passed away on Saturday evening at the age of 39 during a brief illness.

The Ivorian was the coach of Adanaspor in the Turkish second-tier league. He fell ill before the match in and against Manisa and passed away in hospital.

In January 2021, it was announced that ‘Sol’ Bamba had been diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma.

Four months later, he announced that he was cancer-free. Bamba played 46 international matches for Ivory Coast between 2008 and 2014.

He played for Paris Saint-Germain in the youth team and made his professional debut in 2004.

In the rest of his playing career, Bamba wore the shirt of Leicester City, Leeds United, Middlesbrough, Cardiff City and Trabzonspor, among others. He ended his active career in 2022 at Middlesbrough.