Sol Bamba's wife posts heart-breaking message on what would have been Leeds United favourite's 40th birthday
The former Leeds United defender passed away in August.
Sol Bamba's widow Chloe has sent out a heart-warming social media post on what would have been the former Leeds United favourite’s 40th birthday.
Bamba tragically passed away at the end of August, having fallen ill ahead of a game for Turkish club Adanaspor where he was technical director. He was just 39 years old. The former Leeds defender overcame Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2021 but sadly died at the Manisa Celal Bayar University Hospital shortly after falling ill.
The effervescent defender’s death sparked an outpouring of grief from the footballing world, particularly at former clubs including Leeds, Cardiff City, Middlesbrough and Leicester City. The former pair met for a Championship game in September, with tribute paid to the much-loved centre-back.
Bamba would have turned 40 on Monday, January 13, and wife Chloe took to Instagram to post an emotional message. Alongside a video compilation of various birthdays spent together, she wrote: "Today Sol would have been turning 40. One thing I find so hard is there will never be a new photo or video of him, so here are a few old ones. The first is from his 30th birthday. We were living in Palermo at the time; in love and excited for the future.
"I feel incredibly blessed that I got to experience life with Sol and spend so many birthdays celebrating him. I will continue to celebrate him. Sol’s light burnt so bright I still feel the warmth from it and I’m so lucky he gave me his strength when he passed. I know it’s helped me get through these last months.
“Sometimes, I feel like I’m just lighting candles trying to replace the sun but I know he would be proud. The fortitude the kids have shown has been remarkable. We did that. Thank you for being ours my love, happy birthday".
Leeds are one of nine clubs fortunate enough to call Bamba a former player, with the well-travelled defender also turning out across five countries for the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Hibernian, Trabzonspor, Palermo and Middlesbrough. He played 56 times for the Whites in all competitions, an 18-month spell in which he also scored five times.