 Bamba with the Ivory Coast in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Souleymane Bamba[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 January 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Ivry-sur-Seine, France | ||
| Date of death | 31 August 2024 (aged 39) | ||
| Place of death | Manisa, Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–2004 | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2006 | Paris Saint-Germain | 1 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | Dunfermline Athletic | 39 | (0) |
| 2008–2011 | Hibernian | 75 | (4) |
| 2011–2012 | Leicester City | 52 | (3) |
| 2012–2014 | Trabzonspor | 27 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Palermo | 1 | (0) |
| 2015 | → Leeds United (loan) | 19 | (1) |
| 2015–2016 | Leeds United | 32 | (4) |
| 2016–2021 | Cardiff City | 112 | (10) |
| 2021–2022 | Middlesbrough | 24 | (0) |
| Total | 382 | (22) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003–2005 | Ivory Coast U20 | ||
| 2008 | Ivory Coast U23 | 2 | (0) |
| 2008–2014 | Ivory Coast | 46 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024 | Adanaspor | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Souleymane "Sol" Bamba (13 January 1985 – 31 August 2024) was a professional football player and manager. As a player, he was a centre-back. Born in France, he played for the Ivory Coast national team.
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.
Bamba was transferred 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. He retired in 2022 after one year at Middlesbrough, and was assistant manager of Cardiff in 2023 and manager of Adanaspor in Turkey at the time of his death.
Born in France to Ivorian parents, Bamba represented Ivory Coast in the 2008 Olympic Games and earned 46 caps for the senior international team between 2008 and 2014.[3] He was chosen for two World Cups and three Africa Cup of Nations, finishing as a runner-up in the latter in 2012.
- ^ "Premier League clubs publish retained lists". Premier League. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
- ^ "Sol Bamba: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ Marshall, Alan (10 November 2009). "Hibs ace Sol Bamba given green light to join Ivory Coast's World Cup bid". Daily Record. Retrieved 20 May 2010.