Cardiff City icon Sol Bamba speaks for first time since devastating cancer diagnosis in defiant message to fans
There has been an outpouring of emotion from Bluebirds fans and the footballing world as a whole and Sol Bamba has sought to address supporters in an emotional post
Thursday 14th January 2021
It sparked an outpouring of emotion from well wishers, who sent their messages via social media and through the club's email account.
Bamba had, understandably, been silent in the days following Monday's announcement, but sought to address fans in an emotional post on his Instagram page.
The Ivorian defender, who has already began chemotherapy treatment, celebrated his 36th birthday on Wednesday and, alongside a photo of him during a subdued celebration, laid bare his gratitude for the countless messages he has received.
SOL BAMBA:
"Thank you for all your birthday and well wishes over the last few days," he wrote on Instagram.
"Your support at times has left me speechless and I’m sorry that I couldn’t reply to every message but believe me I read them all!
"I know I’m going to get through this."
Bamba is, of course, a firm favourite among fans in this corner of the world, not only for what he has done on the pitch in a Cardiff City shirt, but for the countless extra-curricular activities he undertakes in an almost ambassadorial role.
He is an iconic figure both within the dressing room and for the club as a whole and on Wednesday manager Neil Harris detailed just how hard the news hit the squad when they were told on Monday.
SOL BAMBA:
"Obviously it was very sad news and very hard-hitting for everybody within the club and the fanbase and, most of all, for Sol and his family," Harris said.
"It's been a difficult few weeks for everyone involved. I spoke to Sol regularly over the Christmas period when he first found out.
"Then it got to a stage where he's had time to take it in and find out where he's at in terms of treatment and what his next steps are. He's had time to digest that with the family and speak to them about it.
"He thought it was only right he had the chance to come in on Monday and speak to the players in person and staff and then release the statement on Monday night.
"I've got to say the man is incredible. An incredible human being. The humility of wanting to put other people first is astonishing. As you can imagine Monday was very emotional at the training ground. For people who have been here a lot longer than me and even the team-mates who have not been here for long. Everyone loves the man and realises how important he is to Cardiff City and my changing room.
"It was a day I'll never forget and something that makes people take a step back and think about how lucky we are in life and how we are now going to support Sol and his family in the coming months.
"He's a leader in the group, by age, personality and presence. He's been fantastic for me in that leadership role and we have certainly missed him in the last few weeks.
"He's talking about coming in to help lead the changing room and lead the group. He wants to be there at games, he wants to be there at the training ground."
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