Sol Bamba: Middlesbrough to keep defender after fighting cancer

Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock has confirmed defender Sol Bamba will stay at the Championship outfit after winning his battle with cancer.

The 36-year-old Ivory Coast star has been training with Boro at Riverside to build on his fitness after undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma earlier this year.

Warnock, who has also coached Bamba at Leeds and Cardiff City, has confirmed he will keep the player around with a coaching role an option.

When asked if Bamba will stay, Warnock told media as quoted by Maldon Standard: “He will be, yes, in some capacity, unless he goes somewhere else.

“He’s an excellent coach with the youngsters, always giving advice, never shuts up, so I think it’s an opportunity for him.

“And if he can contribute on the field of play, then we’ve got to think about that because it does give us another option.

“He did really, really well for me at Rotherham, which was an awkward game. In a way, that helped me look at him because I never thought he’d get back to this kind of fitness if I’m honest when I was at Cardiff and the problems that he had.

“But all credit to him, he’s done remarkably well by working hard and overcoming things. I think he’s got things to prove. I think he was a little bit disappointed to leave Cardiff and he’s got something to prove now.”

On May 20, Bamba confirmed he was free from cancer after completing his chemotherapy and returned to action for Cardiff against Rotherham United on May 8 after receiving the all-clear to play football again.

“Hey everyone, just a quick message to inform you that I'm now cancer-free! It is of course incredibly heartwarming news for my family and me, we are over the moon right now,” Bamba said.

“I really want to thank each and everyone that has been supporting me, whether it has been with a comment, a message, a like, or whatever, that definitely gave me extra strength to go through this.

“Above all, I want to thank the family at the NHS who took such good care of me, I will always be grateful for your job.

“Thank you to all my family, my friends, and of course the club and everyone in the football industry that has helped me face this challenge. I wish you all a blessed day and will see you soon again on the pitch.”

Although born in France, Bamba represents his parents' nation of Ivory Coast and he played a huge role as Cardiff gained promotion to the Premier League in the 2017-18 season.

He was part of the Ivory Coast squad that reached the quarter-finals of the 2008 Olympic Games and won his first cap at full international level in a 2008 friendly against Israel.