SOL TO PLAY FOR Middlesbrough ace Sol Bamba targets Chelsea after beating cancer having been diagnosed on Christmas Eve 15 months ago
SOL BAMBA never thought he would play football again - let alone be one game away from an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
Posted Saturday, March 19, 2022 by Thesun.co.uk
Diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma on Christmas Eve 2020, the Middlesbrough defender’s life was on the line.
Sol Bamba has set his sights on Chelsea after beating cancer having been diagnosed just 15 months ago Credit: PA
Sol Bamba has recalled the horror of telling his family about his cancer diagnosis Credit: Instagram @cebamba
Ahead of facing Chelsea in the quarters, Bamba recalled: “Me and the missus told the kids I had cancer and that I would be going through chemotherapy.
"My youngest daughter, she was nine at the time, straight away asked, ‘Are you going to die?’.
"That hit me. That was the first time I realised, ‘It could happen’. I did not know what to say.
"I told my daughter there was a small possibility.
"As soon as they heard the ‘C’ word, they feared the worst. I was very sad.
"But once I started the chemo, I never thought like that. I was focused on being as strong as I could possibly be.”
Football fans were united when Bamba, 37, announced he was cancer free in May 2021, the same month when he made his playing return.
Then at Cardiff, he was shocked to find out via Twitter the following month that the Bluebirds had released him.
Former Cardiff boss Neil Warnock soon took the veteran to Boro as a player-coach, where he has had a new lease of life.
His two daughters, son, partner and mum will all be at the Riverside this evening cheering their hero on.
His eldest girl, aged 15, is a Chelsea fan.
Asked if that allegiance will be put to one side, Bamba laughed: “It better be because if it isn’t, she’ll be in trouble!
"I used to play with Didier Drogba for the Ivory Coast so she met him and has been a Chelsea fan ever since.
"Kids always support the big teams with the superstars - my son supports Arsenal - but I’m looking forward to proving them wrong. I’ve got a good feeling.”
Bamba’s children have been asking about the chaos at Chelsea, who provoked fury on Tuesday when they requested for the quarter-final to be played behind closed doors.
If the Blues got their way, Bamba’s family would have been forced to watch on from afar like everyone else.
The veteran defender added: “It would have been devastating. Their request was cheeky. We laughed about it but I’m glad it was withdrawn.
"It’s sad for the club because they’ve done nothing wrong but when you’ve got an owner close to someone like Putin, and he decides to go to war, it’s only right to get punished.”
The football world united to support Sol Bamba following his shock diagnosis Credit: Rex
Chris Wilder’s Teessiders are out for the hat-trick having already seen off Premier League giants Manchester United and Tottenham.
Bamba will be on the bench for the Championship play-off-chasing side - but do not bet against him making an impact.
Brought on for the final two minutes of extra-time at Old Trafford, he then nervelessly dispatched a penalty in their shock shootout win.
Afterwards, the senior statesman tweeted: “I’m too old for this s***”.
Bamba also came on for the final moments against Spurs, and he said: “I knew the good days would come again - but I never thought about scoring penalties at Old Trafford!
"People said, ‘You were very relaxed’. Don’t get me wrong, I did not want to miss, but there are worse things in life.
"When I was going through chemo, I never thought for one minute I would come back and play - let alone at this level.
"This is now a bonus, and I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can.”
Savouring these final moments of his 18-year career with his family is what it is all about now for Bamba.
Sol Bamba is now enjoying every minute of being back on the football pitch following his health scare Credit: Getty
He said: “Kids are weird, you know. My boy is 17 and my girls are 15 and 10.
"They don’t like to come out and express themselves too much, they like to keep themselves to themselves.
"But since I’ve been sick and come out the other side, they are different, they tell me how they feel.
"They have come to away games, whereas before they never did.
"They always wanted to stay with their friends but now they realise and appreciate how things can change in a heartbeat.
"They want to make the most of it, and I’m glad!”
Beat Chelsea and Bamba will head to Wembley for just the second time. The first was for Cardiff, against Tottenham, in 2018.
Whether this is his last season remains to be seen, but what a way to go - after everything he has been through - with a fairytale ending.
A future in management is the plan and Bamba said: “We’ve got a young group and the lads have been talking about this, that there is one more hurdle and then we’ll be playing at Wembley.
"I said I would like to do one more season so I could finish on my terms and I am glad the board gave me the opportunity to do this.
"I still enjoy it, my body feels OK, so I will see.
"The things after, the party, the buzz in the dressing room, I stay out of it because I’m a certain age and it’s not for me anymore.”
And with one final laugh, Bamba added: “I’ve got to say, if we get to the final or the semi, I’ve got to finish there!”
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