'I'll never be OK with how Sol left us – every day I miss him'

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 Sol’s mural in Grangetown.

- GLEN WILLIAMS Football Writer

“So to see him memorialised on a three-storey building is just perfect - absolutely perfect!”

Laughter ripples through the crowd. But it fades in an instant with her next words.

“I will never be OK with the way that we lost Sol, ever,” she adds, the smile suddenly vanishing from her face. “But what I love is that we can come together and celebrate him and we have honoured him.”

There is a visible battle within Chloe when she begins speaking about her late husband.

Tears dance around the edge of her eyelids, but she never lets them fall.

She displays all the strength befitting the Bamba name, a name that means so much to so many in this corner of south Wales. A name bound up with character, charisma, resilience. It doesn’t take long to see why she and Sol were such a natural fit.

It defies belief, almost, that Chloe can stand in front of dozens of people and hold it all together, as she speaks glowingly about the stunning 20ft mural looming behind her, which was officially unveiled on Wednesday.

‘This past year has been unbearable at times. But she refuses to let it break her - no chance. Sol wouldn’t want that.