Mural to footballers 'lost too young' unveiled
Middlesbrough Football ClubA mural of two "fan favourite" footballers who "died too young" has been unveiled.
Artwork depicting Ugo Ehiogu and Sol Bamba was revealed at Middlesbrough Football Club's Riverside Stadium in front of their friends and family.
BBC Radio Tees' Gary Philipson, who hosted part of the ceremony, said Ehiogu was a "wonderful human being all round" and that Bamba had an "infectious personality".
They were also posthumously handed legacy numbers to commemorate their contributions to the club - 697 for Ehiogu and 946 for Bamba.
The artwork was unveiled on Saturday to a round of applause.
Philipson told the crowd the pair had been "two real fan favourites" and a "wonderful pair of former players that we lost far too young".
Ehiogu, who made more than 150 appearances with Middlesbrough, died aged 44 in 2017 following a cardiac arrest.
He had been part of "probably the most successful years in our club's history", Philipson said.
"Anyone that he ever met, you couldn't help but walk away feeling invigorated by his passion for football and his love of life."
Ivory Coast international Bamba joined Middlesbrough as a coach in 2021.
"He loved seeing the next generation come through," Phillipson said.
"Then he had the biggest come back since Lazarus."
Having been given the all-clear from cancer a few months prior, the defender returned to senior football for 29 appearances with Boro.
"Reems and reems" of fans would get in touch just to say how much they loved him, Philipson said.
Bamba's cancer returned and he died in August 2024, aged 39.
The mural was created by artist Dan Walls, and facilitated with the help of Shaun Campbell from the Arthur Wharton Foundation.