Football Wiki
Football Wiki
Advertisement
Football Wiki
General
Sol Bamba
Sol Bamba
Personal information
Full name: Souleymane Bamba
Date of birth: 13 January 1985(1985-01-13)
Place of birth:    Ivry-sur-Seine, Flag of France France
Date of death:    31 August 2024(2024-08-31) (aged 39)
Place of death:    Manisa, Flag of Turkey Turkey
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Playing position: Defender
Youth clubs
1996–2004 Flag of France Paris Saint-Germain
Senior clubs
Years Club App (Gls)
2004–2006
2006–2008
2008–2011
2011–2012
2012–2014
2014–2015
2015
2015–2016
2016–2021
2021–2022
Total
Flag of France Paris Saint-Germain
Flag of Scotland Dunfermline Athletic
Flag of Scotland Hibernian
Flag of England Leicester City
Flag of Turkey Trabzonspor
Flag of Italy Palermo
Flag of EnglandLeeds United (loan)
Flag of England Leeds United
Flag of Wales Cardiff City
Flag of England Middlesbrough
0000(0)
039 00(0)
075 00(4)
052 00(3)
027 00(0)
0000(0)
019 00(1)
032 00(4)
112 0(10)
024 00(0)
382 0(22)   
National team
2003–2005
2008
2008–2014
Flag of Ivory Coast Ivory Coast U20
Flag of Ivory Coast Ivory Coast U23
Flag of Ivory Coast Ivory Coast
0 00
0000(0)
046 00(1)
Teams managed
2024 Flag of Turkey Adanaspor

Souleymane Bamba (13 January 1985 – 31 August 2024) was an Ivorian professional footballer who played as a defender.

Bamba started his career in his native France with Paris Saint-Germain, but failed to establish himself in their first team. He moved to Scotland to join Dunfermline Athletic in 2006, helping the club reach the final of the Scottish Cup in his first season. Two years later, he was transferred to Hibernian, before joining English side Leicester City in January 2011.

He was sold to Turkish club Trabzonspor in 2012 for £750,000 before joining Palermo. However, he was loaned to Leeds United after making only one appearance in six months. He eventually joined Leeds on a permanent deal and was appointed club captain, spending a further year with the club before being released and subsequently joining Cardiff City. In his first full season with Cardiff, he helped the side win promotion to the Premier League.

Born in France to Ivorian parents, Bamba represented Ivory Coast in the 2008 Olympic Games and became a regular for the senior national side until his most recent cap in 2014. In 2012, he was part of the side that reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Personal life and death[]

Bamba met his English wife Chloe while playing for Leicester. They had three children together. He also had a son born in 2010 from a previous relationship with a Scottish woman. Bamba was multilingual, being able to speak English, French, Italian, Turkish and "the Ivorian dialect that his father used at home". In 2021, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and began undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Four months later in May 2021, he announced that he was cancer-free. However, his wife revealed in a statement made shortly after his death that he had cancer for "the last few years".

On 30 August 2024, Bamba fell ill after the Adanaspor match against Manisa F.K. and was rushed into Manisa Celal Bayar University Hospital. He died at the age of 39 the following day.

External links[]

Template:Adanaspor managers

FIF NewCrest
Flag of Ivory Coast Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast competitionsIvory Coast stadiumsIvory Coast playersIvory Coast clubsIvory Coast coaches

Template:Ivory Coast squad (2010 Africa Cup of Nations)

FIF NewCrest
Ivory Coast – 2010 FIFA World Cup - Group stage (G)

1. Barry 2. Angoua 3. Boka 4. Kolo Touré 5. Zokora 6. Gohouri 7. Doumbia 8. Kalou 9. Tioté 10. Gervinho 11. Drogba 12. Gosso 13. Romaric 14. Koné 15. Dindane 16. Zogbo 17. Tiéné 18. Keïta 19. Touré Yaya 20. Demel 21. Eboué 22. Bamba 23. Yeboah Manager:  Flag of Sweden Sven-Göran Eriksson

Template:Ivory Coast squad (2012 Africa Cup of Nations)

FIF NewCrest
Ivory Coast – 2013 Africa Cup of Nations

Manager:  Flag of ? [[]]

FIF NewCrest
Ivory Coast – 2014 FIFA World Cup – Group stage

1. Barry 2. Viera 3. Boka 4. K. Touré 5. Zokora 6. Bolly 7. Akpa-Akpro 8. Kalou 9. Tioté 10. Gervinho 11. Drogba (c) 12. Bony 13. Ya Konan 14. Diomandé 15. Gradel 16. Gbohouo 17. Aurier 18. Djakpa 19. Y. Touré 20. Die 21. Sio 22. Bamba 23. Mandé Manager:  Flag of France Sabri Lamouchi

Advertisement