Atalanta announced late on Tuesday that former Primavera player Willy Braciano Ta Bi passed away at age 21. The youngster had terminated his contract with the team last year and headed back home to the Ivory Coast in order to fight an incurable liver tumor alongside his family. The club and football federation contributed to paying the medical bills, Gazzetta dello Sport and Repubblica reported.
Ta Bi joined Atalanta in early 2019 from ASEC Mimosas after being spending his early career at Adjamé and Moosou. He featured in 9 matches with the Orobici, scoring 3 goals and winning the youth title that year, drawing comparisons with his compatriot Frank Kessie. He played alongside Amad Diallo, Dejan Kulusevski and Roberto Piccoli. In July, he was loaned out to Pescara for his first stint among the pros, but the spell was terminated shortly thereafter as he suffered a major muscular injury. He fell ill a couple of months later and was forced to retire.
There will be a moment of silence before today’s match against Real Madrid. The club issued a statement: “President Antonio Percassi and the whole Atalanta family are deeply saddened by the premature passing of Willy Braciano Ta Bi. A cruel destiny interrupted too early a dream that was born with the black-and-blue jersey in January of 2019. He needed just few months to become a protagonist with the Primavera and to contribute to bringing the title to Bergamo, but more importantly to leave a great memory of himself. Farewell Willy…”