From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen: Edmond Tapsoba’s amazing journey

“Edmond’s father did not want him to play football. It was rather his mother who encouraged him,” Salitas FC’s president, Yacouba Ouedraogo, recalls the situation. Salitas was Tapsoba’s first club in Ouagadougou at the age of 15.

“Apart from football, he really enjoyed helping me with my work. But when the football season came around, he started to sulk. He wasn’t being disobedient, though,” his father rejoices when he remembers the old times. “We have finally decided to support him in what he loves, and God has shown us mercy through his success. He is now looking after us today. And we are truly happy and proud of him.”

The feeling is mutual. “He’s a normal African dad,” Edmond describes Mouni. “Sometimes, he’s hard, but it’s for my sake. He’s always straight with me as I’m his first boy. I’m proud to make my father proud of me,” adds the 60-time Burkina Faso international with a big smile.

First Football Steps

Edmond’s first football coach, Drissa, believes he played a big role in convincing the parents. “His parents wanted to give priority to school. So I had to keep trying to convince them. Little by little, they understood. After that, they gave their green light to him to evolve in football.”

Yacouba Ouedraogo has a similar story to share. “I had to go and see the parents to tell them, ‘let Edmond play’. Considering his qualities, I knew he would go very far. That’s what happened today,” says the president of the club, who just finished sixth in the Burkinabé Premier League.

King Pitch in Karpala was where Tapsoba spent most of his childhood. “He was very young when he arrived, and he said he wanted to play in attack,” Drissa recites his early interactions with the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal winner. “I instantly refused. But, as he was a small child, if I imposed it, he would run away. I flattered him for a couple of years to make him a centre back.”

“He really was a very hard-working child. After training, he would stay here with me to keep on working individually,” his first coach adds. “He never complained and never looked for excuses. He just worked, and worked, and worked,” confirms his agent.

However, Edmond wasn’t up to standard in terms of his weight at the time. Drissa used to joke around so that the tearful kid would get over his disappointment. “He’s a kind person. He gives everything to children to believe in their dreams.” Tapsoba values Drissa’s efforts as a youth coach.

Tapsoba is also grateful for the former Burkina Faso international Boureima Maïga. “Maïga always believes in me. I've known him since I was 12 or 13. He’s the main person for my career. Since he played football, he used to give us advice and training. He’s like my family member.”

Bayer Leverkusen’s defender confirms he still takes advice from Maïga on a regular basis, and it helps him a lot. “He’s family to me. I really speak to him as a big brother would. So the message goes through more easily than as an agent. As for the agent side, I always let Filipe do the talking,” says the 42-year-old.

Tapsoba also appreciates Salitas FC’s president for the chance he was given when he reunited with them during his visit to their ground. According to Yacouba and Maïga, his discipline played as much of a factor as the technical and efficient side of his game to stand out in the academy.

New chapter in Portugal

“There’s always a group of rebels, but he was never one of them. He just wanted to play,” Maïga looks back at the time.

“Maiga did everything he could to give Eddy (Tapsoba) a chance in Europe. It wasn’t easy at first, but he always believed in Eddy. Then, he found a club in Portugal. I think now he’s a kind of second father for Eddy. Maiga is one of the most important people in Eddy’s career,” Filipe gives the credit to the guy who represented his country in the U17 World Cup.

However, it was never a linear success. “When I called him for 48 hours without getting a reply, my heart was pounding,” says his father, remembering the time when it was hard to keep in touch with Edmond. “On the one hand, we were happy because he was pursuing his dream. But we were worried sitting here. He was embarking on an adventure in Europe for the first time without his family. At the age of 18!"

“He didn’t know anyone there, and I think he went two months without a phone, so he couldn’t communicate with his family at all,” his agent explains the situation. This is the point where Filipe came to the rescue of the Tapsoba family.

“Mentally speaking, Tapsoba was very strong. He spent two years without coming back to Burkina Faso. Without seeing his mum, dad, and friends. But he stayed focused. Then, luckily, Filipe discovered him. He called me to say that Deco scouted him. That changed his life,” Maïga expresses his gratitude to the owner of FMA Sports.

“I called Eddy one evening to introduce myself. I told him that I’d like to meet him. I said that I work with Deco, and that I’d like to introduce him to Deco,” Filipe tells the story himself. The meeting with the current Barcelona sporting director was indeed the turning point.

In an exclusive interview with Bulinews in February 2023, Tapsoba discussed his relationship with the former Portuguese international. “He (Deco) gives me a lot of advice, and we usually talk after each game. He tells me what I should continue doing and what I can do better.”

“I told him that I’m waiting for him in the car, but he didn’t come over to me. I had to get out of the car so that he could see me, then he got in. He told me afterwards, ‘You were so young, I didn’t think that you worked with Deco,’” Filipe recalls his first meeting with the young Tapsoba.

Key steps at Vitória Guimarães

“There have been lots of moments that I found moving. The first moment was his transfer to Vitória Guimarães,” Filipe continues to glance over key moments in Tapsoba’s football career.

Things are starting to change in the household of Tapsoba’s parents as well. “When he left, our daily lives changed because of his absence. Our living conditions began to change, though. He was on his own for a long time, but he supported us from Europe,” his father says in reference to the time.

At this stage, the whole family accepted Tapsoba’s profession. “It was a great joy for the whole family when he managed to become a professional footballer,” admits his dad in a change of heart from the early days.

For Maïga and Filipe, there was never a doubt about that possibility since they first laid their eyes on the talented kid. “I always felt that he was going to make it. That’s what I felt. He kept on saying everywhere he went that he would succeed,” says the Burkinabé.

“Once Eddy started playing for the first team of Vitória Guimarães, there was a lot of interest. We had calls from lots of clubs from Germany, one from England, France, Spain,” says Filipe to describe how things went fast for the guy who played organized football for the first time at the age of 14.

Success at Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen were among the interested clubs. “There was this young, up-and-coming centre-back in Portugal. He was on our radar for the summer, but we knew we had to act in January to have a chance,” managing director of sport Simon Rolfes remembers their interest in the youngster who only played half a season with the first team of Vitória Guimarães.

For Tapsoba’s agent, the player’s preference played a huge factor in finding a quick solution with a reported transfer fee of €20 million. “Eddy really wanted to join Bayer 04, and I think we can now say that was the best decision for him.”

“It was a bit of a bizarre meeting, and we can’t help but laugh when we look back on it now,” Rolfes looks back at those discussions with fondness. Filipe notes this was the point where he started to gain back the support of his family firsthand.

“He alone managed to lift us out of the hardship we were facing. Not just for his parents, but for his brothers and sisters. He is working hard to make a success of his life and look after his whole family, and we are all proud of him,” adds Tapsoba’s father with gratitude.

If Rolfes’ memory serves him right, Tapsoba was afraid to even make tackles in his first days of training with Leverkusen. However, Peter Bosz was totally on board with the qualities he has shown despite the nervousness.

“I saw straight away that he’s a very good player,” recounts the current PSV boss as he gives his testimony for the documentary. “Technically, he’s very good. And he’s a tall and strong guy for our defence. He was accepted by his teammates immediately.”

Tapsoba made his full Bundesliga debut only a week after signing for the club. It was a true Bundesliga classic against Borussia Dortmund, and he was able to celebrate a 4-3 victory with the home fans after the end of the game.

“Edmond playing in the Bundesliga is when I was the most proud of him,” says Maïga about that special moment. His father still jokes about getting it all wrong. “The way he loved football and his dedication gave us confidence, though we hadn't expected him to reach this level. For that, we thank God.”

As fate has it, Tapsoba scored a goal against Ferencváros in the Europa League when his parents came to watch him in Europe for the very first time. “We had been to one of those matches where he scored a goal and pointed towards us in the stands. It was truly a joy and an invaluable, unforgettable honour.”

Magical double

Tapsoba has spent over six years as a Bayer Leverkusen player. Undoubtedly, the 2023/24 season stands as the most beautiful story of his playing career. Die Werkself only lost the Europa League final to Atalanta throughout a campaign that culminated with a domestic double.

“A dream moment for everyone, and which I think had a big impact on Eddy, too. No other player from Burkina Faso had won the Meisterschale. It was a dream come true for all of us,” Filipe says about the team that became the first and only in Bundesliga to go the whole season undefeated. “It’s a moment that makes me really happy,” says Tapsoba, who still struggles to find the right words for the magical season.

Tapsoba’s parents were in the stands when Xabi Alonso’s side completed the double with a win over Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final. “The most unforgettable moment for us was travelling to see our son’s matches during that season. And attending the cup final in Berlin. It was an unforgettable moment,” says his father.

“After we won the double, he sent me videos of him driving through his home city (Ouagadougou) with all the motorbikes following him and his medal around his neck. It showed what the situation was, but also the impact Eddy had and how proud he made the people there,” Rolfes shares his insights regarding the impact his signing made in his country.

Foundation Edmond Tapsoba

“We are happy for him because I’d say that his success is the success of Salitas,” adds the president of the Burkinabè club. Amidst all of this recognition, Tapsoba stayed loyal to his values as success didn’t change him one bit.

“Our son's success didn't change him in the slightest. He remained just as he was at the start,” his mother says before the father teases playfully. “It was only his status that had changed!”

Tapsoba’s agent shares that sentiment. “He’s still the same person. Maybe he’s become an even better person because previously he had to think a lot more about himself and his family. Now, as we see from his work with the foundation, he’s someone who wants to help everyone.”

Before the inauguration of his foundation, Tapsoba donated masks, gloves, and hand sanitiser to a market in Ouagadougou during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I had the idea for the foundation a long time ago, but I wasn’t ready for that. After speaking to my parents and friends, they told me it was a good idea,” Tapsoba shares the process of launching the initiative.

Filipe was one of those who pushed the public figure to go ahead with his plan. “Sometimes we have lots of ideas that never come to fruition. I said, ‘Eddy, of course, you will always have my support. This is the best thing you could do.’”

“We welcome his initiative to help those in need.” Tapsoba also gets the blessings from his parents. “I grew up here (Ouagadougou). And I saw situations in hospitals and streets where people have nowhere to go,” Tapsoba further explains what inspired him to do his initiative.

“I think he was right to start this foundation to help children in need, widows, and orphans. It’s a very good thing,” Salitas FC’s president applauds his effort. Bayer Leverkusen are also involved in the foundation as Tapsoba acknowledges their support.

For Tapsoba and Bayer Leverkusen, the 2025/26 campaign will conclude at home against Hamburg on Saturday. The new season will definitely bring new hopes and opportunities for the guy from the land of honest people.

Watch the full documentary below.