Sad day as promising young African footballer dies after battle against heartbreaking disease
- Braciano Ta Bi joined Atalanta from Ivorian side ASEC Mimosa back in 2019
- He had a dream start to life at the Serie A the same year, helping them beat Inter in the Primavera 1 final
- However, his journey to stardom was halted after he was diagnosed with liver cancer a year ago
- While confirming his death, Atalanta described the turn of events as "a cruel fate"
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Man United winger Amad Diallo has led glowing tributes for Atalanta youngster Braciano Ta Bi who tragically died aged just 21 after a battle with cancer.
Source: Getty Images
Ta Bi and Diallo were teammates at Atalanta before the latter made a stunning switch to the Premier League with United.
According to Mirror UK, Ta Bi passed away on Tuesday morning, February 24, after battling liver cancer for the last one year.
His death was confirmed by Atalanta, with the Serie A giants describing the turn of events as "a cruel fate."
"President Antonio Percassi and the whole Atalanta family are deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Willy Braciano Ta Bi," Atalanta said in a statement.
"A cruel fate prematurely interrupted a dream that had begun with the Nerazzurri shirt in January 2019. It took him a few months to play a leading role in the Primavera and help bring the Scudetto back to Bergamo, but, above all, to leave a great memory of himself," the statement added.
On his part, Diallo paid an emotional tribute for Ta Bi on Instagram, describing him as a friend.
"Rest in peace, Willy Braciano Ta Bi. Forever in our hearts. Now sleep in peace, friend," he posted.
Ta Bi joined Atalanta in 2019 from ASEC Mimosa, which is regarded as the most successful club in Ivory Coast.
Internationally, the defensive midfielder's steady rise in the game saw him captain the Ivory Coast youth side, representing the west African nation at the Francophone Games in 2017.
He last featured for Atalanta in June 2019, helping the side beat Inter Milan in the Primavera 1 final.
At the time, he scored three goals and bagged an assist in what was a dream performance in his promising football career.
Earlier, Legit.ng had reported how Ghanaian football fraternities were thrown into deep mourning following the untimely death of young 15-year-old footballer Linus Issahaku who died after sustaining a head injury.
According to the information released by respected Sports Reporter Saddick Adams, he claimed that the deceased suffered a head injury while playing for second division side Catholic Stars FC.
Adams added that the player was immediately rushed to the hospital for medical attention and all efforts to save him were futile as he eventually died.
Ibitoye Shittu is an award winning Sports Journalist with more than 10 years experience in News-writing, reporting and Public Relation. He is an HND and B.SC holder of Mass Communication and can be reached on Twitter @Ibishittu
Source: Legit.ng
Ibitoye Shittu Ibitoye Shittu is an award-winning Sports Journalist with more than 10 years of experience in News-writing, reporting and Public Relations. He is a B.SC holder in Mass Communication and can be reached on Twitter @ibishittu
Khadijah Thabit (Copyeditor) Khadijah Thabit is an editor with over 3 years of experience editing and managing contents such as articles, blogs, newsletters and social leads. She has a BA in English and Literary Studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Khadijah joined Legit.ng in September 2020 as a copyeditor and proofreader for the Human Interest, Current Affairs, Business, Sports and PR desks. As a grammar police, she develops her skills by reading novels and dictionaries. Email: khadeeejathabit@gmail.com
