YOU might well have heard the story of Neil Warnock's first ever transfer sales pitch to Sol Bamba.

Warnock was manager of Leeds United at the time and Bamba playing for Leicester when the defender crunched into a tackle down near the dugouts.

Bamba might well have been wearing the opposition shirt but Warnock loved what he saw and sensed an opportunity.

"If you played for me you'd be playing in the Premier League," Warnock whispered in Bamba's ear while play resumed on the pitch in front.

It would prove to be one of the most inspired moments of Warnock's long career and the start of a relationship that ended up being more father-son than manager-player.

Warnock, like anyone and everyone who had the fortune and pleasure of coming across Bamba, will have been floored and utterly devastated by the news on Saturday night that the former Middlesbrough defender had died, aged just 39, announced by Turkish club Adanspor, where he was technical director. His wife Chloe says Bamba "succumbed to his unfair fight" with cancer.

Bamba was a fine footballer who enjoyed an excellent career, which started at PSG and took him to Scotland, Turkey and Italy as well as England, where he played for Leicester, Leeds, won promotion at Cardiff and hearts at Middlesbrough. He played 46 times for the Ivory Coast, selected in squads for Olympic Games, the 2010 World Cup and helping them reach the final of the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

But the reason Bamba touched so many people in the game and left such a lasting impact was because of his warmth, generosity, kindness and positivity. Meet him and you'd like him. And you wouldn't forget him. How could you? That smile and his natural ability to make those around him feel good about themselves and feel like they'd known him forever.

Cardiff City put it best in their tribute: "He was a hero to all of us, a leader in every dressing room and a true gentleman."

The above can all be said of Bamba's time at Middlesbrough.

He linked up with Boro when Warnock was in charge in the summer of 2021 to initially keep fit after his Cardiff release.

The year earlier he'd been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a shock diagnosis on Christmas Eve which he bravely kept from his young kids until the festive period and excitement had passed.

What got him through the months and agony and uncertainty that followed?

"I am a very positive person," he said in an interview in 2022.

"When the doctor told me on Christmas Eve it was hard, it was hard for me to tell the family, the kids. But the next minute I was like right what's my next step, because I want to get better, I need to get better, for my family, the kids, for everyone.

"You have to be positive. If you're not positive what chance do you stand."

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Bamba initially recovered and inspired, earned a contract at Middlesbrough and in no time at all became a favourite and hero on Teesside.

Redcar Town posted a tribute on Saturday night with the non-league club having experienced first hand Bamba's warmth and generosity. It was against Redcar in the summer of 2021 that Bamba made his first friendly appearance for Boro, after which he spent time with fans, club officials and agreed to do an interview for their YouTube channel.

It says everything about Bamba that despite not even playing 30 times for Boro, he was so well thought of and fondly remembered on Teesside. The power of being a good person and having such a kind heart.

One of his 29 Boro appearances was perhaps one of the most memorable cameos in the club's history. Introduced from the bench in the 118th minute of Boro's FA Cup tie at Old Trafford in January 2022, Bamba didn't touch the ball until he calmly walked from the centre-circle and stroked home his penalty as though it was a kickabout in the park.

He'd never been a penalty taker, but what was the worst that could happen?

"With everything I've been through, everything is a bonus," he said afterwards.

"If I score, great; if I miss, of course I'd be disappointed but it's not the end of the world. I don't want to lose a game or miss a penalty but you look at it from a different perspective when you've been through what I went through."

That night and penalty at Old Trafford sums up Bamba's time at Boro: he made a huge impact in a short space of time.

That Old Trafford night, though, wasn't Bamba's best memory at Middlesbrough. His highlight was what followed a Man of the Match display at Bournemouth in April, 2022 when there were tears of joy on the pitch as he was serenaded by Boro's fans.

"That was my best memory of playing for Boro," Bamba told the Northern Echo's You Are My Boro YouTube channel later that year.

"Everyone mentions Manchester United but that was special. I was Man of the Match and the way the fans sang my name, Chris Wilder pushed me to go and celebrate with them.

"Back then everything came back to me. Chris Wilder said to me I need to enjoy those moments. I've never liked the attention, I'm a team player so that's why I was a bit shy. But he was right, you have to appreciate and cherish those moments and I certainly did."

He loved his time at Boro.

"These are my kind of people and this is my kind of area, working class people who are very humble and kind," he said after his 2022 exit.

"They've made this last year a very special one for me."

Bamba leaves behind wife Chloe and children Roonea, Lily, and Amy.

Chloe has now paid a heartbreaking tribute, saying: "For the last few years I have watched Sol fight his cancer head on with an astounding mental and physical strength and stoicism.

"Unfortunately, it was never a fair fight and just when things were looking up he took a downturn and finally succumbed on 31st August.

"These years have been indescribably difficult but we still managed to find joy and laughter in it. I’ve experienced my worst days but also some of my best. Sol accepted his fate as God’s will and left this earth knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was loved wholeheartedly. I made sure of that.

"It was an honour to have loved and been loved by Sol. I learnt so much from him. He is my hero. My heart is breaking. What a gift, what a gift, what a gift to have been loved by him."

A gentle giant of a man, he'll be remembered with such fondness on Teesside and across the football world. RIP.