Former Cardiff City hero Sol Bamba has written an emotional message of thanks to Middlesbrough fans after the club confirmed he would not be offered a new contract.
The centre-back was released by the Bluebirds at the end of last season, a decision which stuck in the craw of many City supporters, with Mick McCarthy claiming it was a straight shootout between keeping Bamba or signing Mark McGuinness from Arsenal.
The 37-year-old had just been given the all clear following his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at the time, but Bamba insisted he did not want to go out like that after a storied playing career.
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Indeed, his old friend Neil Warnock offered him one last chance to play a key role in another challenge up at Boro and it is fair to say the Ivorian has exceeded expectations. He played 29 senior matches for Boro, undertaking a key role under both Warnock and his successor Chris Wilder, and even featured at the business end of the campaign when the Teesside club were fighting to get into those play-off spots.
Their promotion bid ultimately fell short when they failed to squeeze into the top six on the final day of the season. Wilder wasted no time in telling the players which of them would be kept on and who would be leaving and the club announced on Monday that Bamba, along with ex-Cardiff right-back Lee Peltier and Wales international Neil Taylor, would not be offered new deals.
And Bamba offer his heartfelt thanks to the Boro faithful for making him feel at home in the north-east.
"Hey guys, as announced by the club, my contract has come to an end and so does this wonderful adventure," he wrote on Instagram. "It was a great honour to wear this jersey and represent this club every single time I had the chance to.
"I have been absolutely humbled by your welcome and deeply touched by your support all season. After what I've been through, Boro felt like a safe place and most importantly a new home for me, and I will never forget that.
"I would like to thank the fans, the staff and everybody at the club that helped me during my time here. I wish you all nothing but the very best next season. Thank you for everything, UTB. Sol."
Quite what Bamba does next is anyone's guess, but all City fans would likely agree that whichever club has him, in whatever capacity, would be a better place for it.
