Edmond Fayçal Tapsoba (born 2 February 1999) is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Bayer Leverkusen and the Burkina Faso national team.
Early and personal life Tapsoba grew up in the Karpala section of Ouagadougou where he played football in the streets, but he never played organized football until the age of fourteen. As a child, he would often skip school to play football. He is represented by former Portugal international Deco. Tapsoba can speak some English, as well as French. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tapsoba donated masks, gloves, and hand sanitiser to a market in Ouagadougou.
Club career Early career Tapsoba played for Salitas, US Ouagadougou, Leixões, Vitória de Guimarães B, and Vitória de Guimarães.
Bayer Leverkusen On 31 January 2020, Tapsoba agreed to a five-and-a-half-year contract with Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of €18 million plus €7 million for objectives. On 21 February 2021, he scored his first Bundesliga goal for Bayer Leverkusen in the final seconds of stoppage time in a match against FC Augsburg, equalising for his side and extending Leverkusen's unbeaten streak against Augsburg to twenty matches. Ahead of the 2026–27 season, head coach Carles Martínez Novell named Tapsoba as club's captain, replacing Robert Andrich.
International career Tapsoba made his international debut for Burkina Faso in 2016.
In December 2021, he was selected to represent his country at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. Burkina Faso would reach the semi-finals of the tournament and Tapsoba was named in the best eleven along with teammate Blati Touré.
On 20 December 2023, Tapsoba was included in the final 27 man squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Tapsoba also represented Burkina Faso at the 2025 AFCON, scoring his first AFCON goal on 24 December 2025, in his 27th appearance in the competition.
Style of play Tapsoba has been compared to Jérôme Boateng for his speed, strength, passing ability, and composure. He is also known for his ability to score goals, especially from the penalty spot. He cites players such as John Stones, Per Mertesacker, and Virgil van Dijk as inspirations.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsVitória de Guimarães B2018–19LigaPro307————307Vitória de Guimarães2019–20Primeira Liga1641041113—328Bayer Leverkusen2019–20Bundesliga14030—50—2202020–21Bundesliga31131—50—3922021–22Bundesliga22110—60—2912022–23Bundesliga33110—131—4722023–24Bundesliga28061—122—4632024–25Bundesliga29040—90104302025–26Bundesliga29540—100—4352026–27Bundesliga4010—10—60Total1918222—6131027513Career total23719232417261031928
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsBurkina Faso201610201720201800201950202040202170202214120235020241302025103202650Total664
Scores and results list Burkina Faso's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Tapsoba goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Edmond TapsobaNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 19 November 2022 Stade de Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco 2–1 2–1 Friendly2 5 September 2025 Estádio 24 de Setembro, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau 3–0 6–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification3 4–04 24 December 2025 Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca, Morocco 2–1 2–1 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
Honours Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga: 2023–24 DFB-Pokal: 2023–24 DFL-Supercup: 2024
Individual Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2021
References