Sol Bamba (right), is back playing with strikers and it is "pure joy to be playing".
Sol Bamba is winning every time he steps on a pitch these day.
It hurts when his Middlesbrough team loses. After all, he is a professional footballer and this is his passion, his livelihood.
However, he has overcome non-Hodgkin lymphoma at 36 to continue his career as a Champion. The simple fact that he is out there is enough.
Bamba said that she is someone who thinks ahead and moves forward constantly.
"I don’t dwell on the past. Sometimes, I think about the things I've done and how I did it in training or playing games.
It's insane, it's hard to put into words. A few months back, I felt so bad after chemotherapy that I didn't think I could ever have played football again.
"It's pure joy when I play, and it makes me realize how fortunate I am."
"You don't want that at any moment"
Before there was joy in the heart of the Paris-born centre-half there was despair in the diagnosis in the latter part 2020.
Bamba, a former footballer, was still in good condition even after his retirement. He had played professionally for 15 years, starting at Paris St-Germain and ending at Leeds.
He was diagnosed with a serious illness and it was hard to accept.
"I felt a lot of pain for a few weeks before I saw the doctor. They did some scans, and that was when I was diagnosed with it on Christmas Eve," Bamba said.
"You don’t want to hear it at any time, but especially during the holiday season. We decided not to tell our family, as we wanted everyone to have an enjoyable Christmas.
"We kept it to my spouse and me, and we didn’t even tell our kids."
Retransmitting the message and processing news
Sol Bamba, who was born in France, made 46 appearances on Ivory Coast.
Although Bamba and Chloe tried to make Christmas "normal" this year for their children, it was difficult to take in the news.
His doctors said it wasn't due to anything he had done, which helped him mentally. However, his mother was based in France, and he was still trying to tell his children the news.
Bamba said, "It was difficult for her [mum] to not be here and that's why she said," "She was crying on her phone.
It was difficult because there was also Covid. The worst was for me the children. Because when you tell girls that you have cancer, it is often associated with death. So when your kids asked you if you were going to die, that was difficult.
That was, I have to admit, the most difficult part of my life. The doctor said to me, "Just tell them truth. You can't lie kids. We're certain you'll be fine. But if anything were to happen, you don't want your kids to be lying."
Take on cancer
Patients undergoing chemotherapy may experience fatigue.
After the treatment began, the hardest part was the physical decline. Bamba went from using it in mixed with centre forwards in elite-level football to barely getting out of bed when the drugs started to work.
He continued, "For four consecutive days, I didn’t get up or use the toilet, anything." "I couldn't believe it after four days when my missus told me it had been four days. I was gone. I was so tired, I couldn’t get out my bed.
"I didn’t eat. I lost a lot of weight." This was something I did for a few weeks. After the first, I decided I wouldn't go back because I didn't want to do it again.
Bamba was able to persevere because of the strength of Chloe, and each session became easier as his body became more accustomed to the treatment.
He said, "People see me and talk about it comfortably and they smile and that's it. But it was hard." There are no other words. It was hard, even though I'm not a superhuman. It's important to discuss it.
"If you have good support and are mentally strong, you can overcome anything. Because everyone is unique, it was hard for me to discuss it.
"I can have no problem or defeat it, if that's what I can use, whereas others might suffer. This doesn't mean that people aren't fighting, and I fight more than them. Everybody is unique and approaches the treatment differently.
"I have read every message"
Special T-shirts were worn by players at Cardiff's former club Bamba to show their support for the defender
He has a new outlook on life after he came out of the other side to play football again.
Bamba wants to enjoy every moment with his family and share the joy of new experiences.
He is grateful for the support he received in his darkest hours from the football community.
Bamba said, "First and foremost the support from my Cardiff team-mates at that time as well the entire football world really were huge." I think people underestimate the value of just sending me a message via social media or post.
"I don’t believe I’m lying when I say I read every one of them. This gave me the courage and confidence to conquer this."
At their Championship match with Norwich City, Cardiff wore T-shirts that had Bamba's number 22 and name on them.
It was important to me to have all the support, and to see them wearing those T-shirts. It was tremendous because it was apparent that everyone cared about me from far away and wanted to support my efforts which was a huge plus," Bamba said.
"I was stunned and overwhelmed. I play football as best I can. I don't ask anyone for trouble, and I received messages from everyone.
"I am shy, and all those messages made it feel bad. But it was greatly appreciated."
From fighting cancer to the Championship's strikers. Bamba continues to win at every step.
Sol Bamba spoke to Mark Drury, BBC Radio Tees Middlesbrough commentator.
