There hasn't been a debut like it in Leicester City's history. 46 seconds into an FA Cup third round tie against Manchester City, Sol Bamba headed home from a corner to write his name into the club's folklore.
It wasn't just his debut goal that instantly won the fans over. His physical presence and athleticism caused the Premier League big spenders all sorts of problems and kept star striker Carlos Tevez quiet for a lot of the game which ended 2-2. The chant of "Sol-Sol Bamba" to the tune of La Bamba quickly rang around the King Power Stadium and a fans favourite was born.
Bought by his former international manager Sven Goran-Eriksson from Scottish Premier League side Hibernian for £250,000, Eriksson often light heartedly likened Bamba to German legend Franz Beckenbauer as he dribbled the ball out from the back to start attacks. His confidence on the ball was refreshing to see, although at times a little too confident as he gave the ball away in dangerous places.
His performances during his first six months at the club linked him with a move to Blackburn Rovers last summer, but in September he signed a new contract to keep him at the club until September 2014.
However, the sacking of Eriksson and the return of Nigel Pearson as manager in November signalled the beginning of the end for Bamba.
Although he remained in the starting XI at the start of Pearson's second tenure, his call up to the African Nations Cup, where he was a regular starter for Cote d'Ivoire as they reached the final, saw Sean St Ledger step in his place. The arrival of fellow defender Wes Morgan from Nottingham Forest saw more places for competition and Bamba was no longer one of the first names on the team sheet.
The impressive form of St Ledger and Morgan saw Bamba on the bench after his return from Africa. An injury crisis in the central of midfield saw Bamba feature in central midfield, a position where many City fans would suggest is his best position as his surging runs further up the pitch could cause more damage to the opposition and less likely to concede a sloppy goal.
His last game for City came in the 2-1 win at Leeds on the last day of the season as he moved to Turkish side Trabzonspor. Bamba's style of play was adventurous and at times unpredictable, something Nigel Pearson clearly doesn't want from a central defender. With Pearson being a defender himself during his playing days, his sides are built from the back with a solid defence. As much of a cult hero Bamba was at the club, he was at times a reliabil
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