My ex-Premier League star husband died and I'll never be OK with what happened

"If you were ever lucky enough to meet Sol, you'd agree that he was larger than life," says Chloe Bamba, at the unveiling of his mural in Grangetown, Cardiff. "So to see him memorialised on a three-storey building is just perfect - absolutely perfect!".

Chuckles echo through the gathered crowd at the light-hearted observation about her charismatic husband who became an icon at Cardiff Cityand played for the club in the Premier League. Yet the laughter disappears instantly with her following words.

"I will never be OK with the way that we lost Sol, ever," she continues, her grin suddenly disappearing from her face. "But what I love is that we can come together and celebrate him and we have honoured him."

There's an obvious internal struggle within Chloe as she starts talking about her beloved late husband. Tears threaten at the corners of her eyes, yet she refuses to let them spill.

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She shows all the fortitude worthy of the Bamba surname, a surname which holds such significance for countless people in this part of south Wales.

It is a surname synonymous with personality, charm, and determination. It becomes quickly apparent why she and Bamba were such a perfect match.

It seems almost impossible that Chloe can face dozens of observers and maintain her composure, whilst speaking fondly about the magnificent, 20-foot artwork towering behind her which received its official unveiling last week.

This previous year has proved devastating at moments. Yet she won't allow it to destroy her – absolutely not.

He wouldn't wish for that.

"It has been difficult," she tells Wales Online. "When he left, I truly believe he left me with some of his strength. And the type of person that he was, I know that he wouldn't want me to wallow.

"I do make sure I find joy in everything that I do. I talk to him often - which might make me a little bit crazy! - but I think he listens.

"I will carry on doing that."

Bamba's death on August 31, last year, at the heartbreakingly young age of 39, devastated Cardiff City to its very foundations. It left people across the football world stunned.

Bamba, who also played for Leeds United and Middlesbrough amongst a host of other clubs, had been told he had Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in December 2020, but revealed he had been given the all-clear in May of 2021. He came back to Cardiff as Sabri Lamouchi's right-hand man in January 2023 and helped guide the club to safety from the drop – one last gesture of devotion and bravery for the team he had served so faithfully as a player.

When he took the Adanaspor manager's job in July 2024, nobody could have imagined that the disease had come back and, heartbreakingly, just a month afterwards, he would lose his life.

Speaking about the situation around Sol's death and why she would "never be OK with it", Chloe explains: "The illness - the fact he had to fight so hard for the last few years of his life - he didn't deserve it.

"No one going through that deserved it. It felt incredibly unfair. Because he had so much more to do and achieve in his life and I know that he would have.

"So to see him be so poorly, for so long, and he hid it incredibly well, that's what will always sit uncomfortably with me, because he deserved so much more from life."

Bamba left behind not only his wife Chloe, but his three children Ronnie, Lily and Amy.

Chloe never avoids discussing him with them. Fortunately, they possess the Bamba spirit flowing through their veins.

"They are doing so well. His daughters have his strength," Chloe says.

"We spend a lot of time talking about him. He is not a taboo subject at all. We talk about him all the time and we do things he would have loved, we play Uno together and share stories.

"We remember the joy."

Bamba was greater than football. Anyone who encountered him, and there will be thousands, possesses their own tale - amusing, heartwarming, memorable.

"I absolutely love that," Chloe says of all the stories she has heard.

"He was more than just a footballer, he was an amazing man and a great part of any community that he was in. It's just great to have him recognised in this way.

"I will always follow Cardiff, they are my favourite team. And it just so happens my friend's husband is managing them now, so I have even more reason to support them! Go Bluebirds!".

It's undoubtedly an emotional rollercoaster for Chloe on a poignant day where the feeling of grief remains incredibly fresh, but equally powerful is the togetherness Bamba fostered. The heartache isn't going anywhere - that will linger for ages to come.

But more than a year since he died, Chloe still keeps her husband - and what he taught her - close to her heart.

"Every day, I miss him," she says. "I have my moments, but I focus on him and his character.

"One word that would sum Sol up would be strength, so I try to weave that into my daily life.

"To see the community come together and do something like this to commemorate him means the world to me."

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