Sven-Göran Eriksson, who managed Bamba at club level for Leicester City and internationally for the Ivory Coast, compared the defender with Franz Beckenbauer. Cardiff manager Neil Warnock regularly told Bamba "Don’t be Beckenbauer. Just kick or head it. When it’s on, pass it, but if it’s not on, just put it up there," and in December 2017 Warnock branded Bamba and fellow Cardiff centre-half Sean Morrison as better than Virgil van Dijk. Bamba's favourite players growing up were Lilian Thuram and George Weah.