In the national team of the West African state with a population of around 23 million, Edmond Tapsoba has been an undisputed first choice for years. The Leverkusen player, who won the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal double plus the Supercup with the Werkself in the summer, has only missed one of the last 14 international fixtures – a friendly against Niger. He has played the full 90 minutes in every game. To date Tapsoba has won 47 caps for his country and scored one goal.
Tapsoba, under the Cross since January 2020, is also a regular starter at Bayer 04: He was in the starting line-up in eleven of the last twelve matches and was only substituted once.
The other nominations for the African Player of the Year are: Amine Gouiri (Stade Rennes/Algeria), Simon Adingra (Brighton & Hove Albion/Ivory Coast), Chancel Mbemba (Olympique Marseille/DR Congo), Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund/Guinea), Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain/Morocco), Soufiane Rahimi (Al-Ain FC/Morocco), Ademola Lookman (Atalanta Bergamo/Nigeria), William Troost-Ekong (Al-Kholood/Nigeria), Ronwen Williams (Sundowns/South Africa).
Away from football, Tapsoba has primarily done a lot for the people in his home country. In the summer he formed the ‘Fondation Edmond Tapsoba’ in Burkina Faso. The foundation based in Ouagadougou has the target of sustainably supporting people in different areas of life. The main focus is on measures for disadvantaged children, older people, the homeless, victims of violence, people with serious illnesses, refugees and people with disabilities.
Tapsoba spoke to bayer04.de a while ago about his motivation, his targets and desires for his project. HERE is the interview.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 4-0 win at SGS Essen on the 24th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Bayer 04 put in a brilliant performance to beat RB Leipzig 4-1 on Bundesliga matchday 32 and are now fourth in a Champions League spot. The Black and Reds took control of the game right from the start and, with 75 per cent possession at one stage, took a 2-0 lead into the break through Patrik Schick (25’) and Nathan Tella (45+1’). The visitors initially tried to do more after the break, but the Werkself remained determined and Schick scored his second goal to increase the lead to 3-0 (76'). The Red Bulls pulled a goal back through Christoph Baumgartner (80'), but the disciplined Leverkusen side were not rattled - and certainly not Schick: The Czechia international crowned a brilliant display with his third goal shortly before the final whistle to make the final score 4-1.
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In the previous game against RB Leipzig in December last year, the Werkself turned came from behind to win 3-1 and further improved Leverkusen's already strong record against the Red Bulls. Montrell Culbreath stood out with his first goal on his debut for the Black and Reds. While the 18-year-old would certainly like to score a second goal against Leipzig on Saturday night, the attack-minded visitors come to the BayArena in confident mood after five Bundesliga victories in a row. The Nordkurve12 supporters group knows the Werkself will therefore once again be reliant on the vociferous support of the fans, and has once again called for the ‘Finally Red’ campaign in the run-in. Today’s matchday news.
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Video games manufacturer Electronic Arts (EA), together with the German Football League (DFL), announced the top male and female selections for the 2025/26 Bundesliga season this week. Bayer 04 striker Vanessa Fudalla is in the starting eleven of the women's "Team of the Season". Alejandro Grimaldo and Aleix Garcia have been selected as bench players in the men's team.
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