Neil Warnock recounts heart-warming story about Sol Bamba who ‘just brought laughter’

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Neil Warnock can be described as one of those journeyman managers that football fans remember fondly when they think about the sport in England.

Managers like Warnock always had a loyal group who would follow him anywhere, with one of them being Sol Bamba.

Unfortunately, the world lost Sol Bamba just over a year ago, with the former defender bringing joy to many clubs, having scored important goals throughout his career.

Bamba wore his heart on his sleeve, which brought admiration from fans, as they knew he would do anything for the shirt and the badge.

Warnock, while saddened by the loss of Bamba, was pleased about how the Ivorian defender will be remembered.

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Neil Warnock recounts signing Sol Bamba for Cardiff City

Warnock was covering two of his former clubs for Sky Sports as he helped the broadcaster talk about the Championship game between Middlesbrough and Sheffield United.

However, they took a moment to remember Sol Bamba, who passed away a year ago, and Warnock told a story that summed up the player.

He said: “Sol will be so pleased with how we remember him because he just brought laughter around the place.

“I remember telling him I wanted to sign him; I didn’t even know I was going to Cardiff, and he waited three months.

“It wasn’t until the end of September I said, ‘Sol, we are going to Cardiff,’ and he goes, ‘Thank God for that, I’d run out of money, gaffer,’ and he went and scored the winner in the first game.

“In the dressing room he was one of those; as a manager you need your voice in the dressing room, and he used to stop anything happening before it got to me.”

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Sol Bamba and Neil Warnock

Bamba and the veteran coach only spent time together at two clubs, and it was late in Bamba’s career, as he left Leeds United to join Warnock at Cardiff City.

The pair would remain in the Welsh capital until Warnock got the job at Middlesbrough, and so Bamba would follow him to the northeast of England to wind down his career.

Bamba had begun his coaching career with Adanaspor a month before his death; with it, it is likely the duo could have been reunited in the future had he sadly not passed.