Talking about European football these days without mentioning African players would almost be one of the weirdest things to do for many reasons. Most important among all the many reasons why Africa is very much featured in European football discussion is the continent’s plethora of talent plying their trade in Europe.
A KPMG report showed that there are over 500 African footballers in European leagues, more than in any other non-European leagues. So when Bayer Leverkusen broke their ‘Neverkusen’ curse on Sunday evening, it was no surprise to see African players and players of African descent among the top stars of the night. But who are the African players that helped the German club to their first-ever league triumph? We provide the list
Victor Boniface
Boniface was born to Nigerian parents in Nigerian on December 23, 2000 at Akure in Ondo State. The 23-year-old young striker is exceptionally brilliant for his fast pace and strength. As one of the big names in the Bundesliga, Victor joined the German club in July 2023 from Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise. After recovering from injury that kept him away for 12 weeks, the attacker has attained tremendous success in all 18 appearances so far. He has scored 11 goals and laid on 8 others for his teammates in just 18 appearances. Boniface was among the goals in the crowning victory over Werder Bremer. His opener from the spot was the start of the flurry that ended in one-sided five-goal thriller.
Edmond Tapsoba
Edmond Tapsoba is a Burkinabe international. He plays as a centre-back for Bayer Leverkusen and is one of the best defenders in the division. He was born on February 2, 1999 at Ouagadougou. Tapsoba is 25 years old of and has been at the club since 2020. He is renowned for his speed, strength, composure and passing ability.
Odilon Kossounou
As a young talented player, Kossounou’s family let him live his dreams when they put him in the ASEC Mimosas football academy in Abidjan. His wings spread from there ever since and he has never looked back. Kossounou has tasted league glory before having won twice at Club Brugge in 2019. He has been at Bayer Leverkusen since 2021. The 23-year-old centre-back also recently won the Africa Cup of Nation with Ivory Coast.
Nathan Tella
Nathan Adewale Temitayo Tella is an England-born Nigerian attacking midfielder. After spending a decade of his formative years at Arsenal, Tella moved to Southampton to continue his development. He progressed to the club’s first team before spending time at Burnley. Tella joined Bayer Leverkusen in 2023 and made his debut in the victory over Darmstadt. Tella was called up by former coach of Nigeria, Jose Paseiro for the qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe for the 2026 FIFA world cup.
Amine Adli
Amine Adli, the Moroccan midfielder has been an important figure in the Bundesliga for the last couple of years. The 23-year-old turns 24 in under a month. Having cut his teeth while rising through the ranks at Toulouse, Amine signed with Leverkusen in 2021 and soon became a favourite among the BayArena faithful. The France-born winger and forward chose to play for his home nation, Morocco despite playing for the French youth teams. He made his debut in a match against Liberia in 2023, scoring his first goal in the process. Adli has been a key player for the German club and has continued to play beautiful football while raising high the flag of country and continent.
These names of mother Africa are cemented in the history books of Bayer Leverkusen and will forever serve as a reminder of the influence of African players in modern European football.