A SMILE that was "second to none" and a player that was "brilliant to work with" are some of the words left in tribute to Sol Bamba from two of his managers at Dunfermline Athletic.

Jim Leishman and Stephen Kenny have both expressed their sympathy after the hugely popular 39-year-old passed away on Saturday.

Turkish club Adanaspor, where he was working as a technical director, announced the devastating news that he had fallen ill and died in hospital.

Tributes across the football world have been flooding in for the former centre back, who went on to win 46 caps for his country, Ivory Coast, including at the 2014 World Cup.

READ MORE: Former Pars centre back Sol Bamba dies at the age of 39

After beginning his career with Paris St Germain, he was signed for the Pars by Leishman in the summer of 2006, after a successful trial period - which came after he was offered as a replacement for a French defender, who returned to his homeland after his fiancé took ill.

Fans who were present at the game in which he appeared in - a friendly against Spanish outfit, Osasuna - were left impressed, and even more so in another warm-up match, against West Bromwich Albion.

The West Midlands team had been relegated from the English Premier League the previous season, and although they earned a 1-0 win at East End Park, Bamba's performance against former Celtic striker, and Welsh international, John Hartson, made supporters further take notice of his ability.

It also convinced Leishman to hand him a two-year contract, who said: "Although it took a bit of luck to get Sol, he was a great guy to have in the team.

Sol Bamba celebrates with Stephen Simmons and Andy Tod after a goal against Hearts.Sol Bamba celebrates with Stephen Simmons and Andy Tod after a goal against Hearts. (Image: DAFC.)

"He had a fiery temperament, but that was because he wanted to be a winner. Although he was raw, I knew it was unlikely that we would be able to keep him – he was strong, quick with good feet, and he was good in the air.

"Off the field I got on really well with him and met his mum, dad and brothers. He went on to great things, but we kept in contact. It is really sad that he has passed away.

"The thing I’ll remember most about him is his smile – it was second to none."

(Image: DAFC.)

By October of that season, however, Leishman had stepped down from his position as manager and, the following month, Derry City boss Kenny was appointed as his replacement.

The team continued to struggle in the league - they went on a run of nine successive games without scoring, and went 15 without victory after the beat Dundee United in the first game after Kenny was installed - and failed to stave off relegation from the Premier League.

They took the fight for survival until the second last match of the campaign, where a defeat in Inverness, coupled with a comeback win for St Mirren at Motherwell, sealed Athletic's fate.

Prior to that, the Pars had given their chances of staying up a major boost with wins at St Mirren and at home to Motherwell, with the former taking place in front of 3,000 travelling fans at Love Street.

Tam McManus - who posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he was "devastated" at the passing of a "terrific player but more importantly a fantastic human being" - scored Dunfermline's goal in a 1-0 success, but Bamba, who never scored for the Pars, had come close to finding the net when he flashed a shot wide from the edge of the box.

Although the league season ended in disappointment, Kenny's Athletic embarked on a superb Scottish Cup run, knocking out Rangers, holders Heart of Midlothian, and Partick Thistle on their way to the semi-finals.

There they met Hibernian - who would be Bamba's next club - and after a scoreless draw at Hampden, in which Bamba was a commanding presence, he and his team-mates won the replay thanks to Jim McIntyre's iconic chipped penalty.

In addition to his performances over both matches, the sight of Bamba, scarf aloft celebrating with his team-mates and supporters, will be a memory that many Dunfermline fans will have of Bamba, who then went on to produce a man of the match performance in the final, in which Dunfermline lost late on by a 1-0 scoreline against Celtic.

Sol Bamba played for the Pars in the 2007 Scottish Cup final.Sol Bamba played for the Pars in the 2007 Scottish Cup final. (Image: DAFC.)

Sol Bamba (back row, far right) and his Pars pals lost 1-0 to Celtic at Hampden.Sol Bamba (back row, far right) and his Pars pals lost 1-0 to Celtic at Hampden. (Image: DAFC.)

There were, though, displays which didn't quite so well as Bamba's game progressed and matured, with a 5-0 home humbling by Hamilton Academical the following campaign, in which he penned a contract extension, a particular afternoon to forget.

He featured for the club in another final, this time in the Challenge Cup, which the Pars lost to St Johnstone, before Kenny departed the club in December 2007, after which McIntyre took charge.

Bamba then departed in August 2008 for Hibernian, after a move to Watford fell through, but former Republic of Ireland boss Kenny, now in charge at St Patrick's Athletic, said: "I had the pleasure of managing Sol, he was a young centre-half at Dunfermline Athletic.

"He was he was a big presence at us on and off the pitch, lighting quick and a really top class defender.

"He was from Paris, but Paul Le Guen picked him in the Ivory Coast squad and he played in World Cups, AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations) and the Olympics for Ivory Coast.

"As a young player, he played in our 2007 cup run and in the two semi finals against Hibernian and the Scottish Cup final of 2007 against Celtic, all at Hampden Park.

"Sol was a very passionate young man, who brought a lot of laughter around the club.

"It spoke volumes for his character that during an injury crises at the club, he played through the pain. He was breath of fresh air around the club but moved on to Hibernian having attracted a lot of interest.

"I subsequently met him afterwards over the years, he was an absolute gentleman. Sol was captain at a few clubs and had moved onto the coaching ladder.

"It's hard to be believe at 39 that he's passed say. He was brilliant to work with, and it's a very sad loss."