One of Ouagadougou’s football teams, Etoile Filante (Shooting Stars), has a number of well-known players, including Ali Ouédraogo and Moumouni Zagalo, and in 1998 Burkina Faso came fourth in the Africa Nation’s Cup. There are at least ten Burkinabè footballers playing outside the country: in Holland, Belgium, France, and the Middle East. For example Mamadou Zongo plays for Vitesse Arnhem, a first division team in the Dutch League.

A professional career and the vast wealth it can bring, is often an exciting prospect for young players. Burkina Faso’s national under 17 football team is based at the Planète Champion, a training centre near the capital city, Ouagadougou. The squad trains at the Municipal Stadium, which was rebuilt to host the Africa Nations Cup. Thirty-seven boys aged between 12 and 16 come from all over Burkina Faso to live, practise and go to school at the centre. They hope for a chance to play in the Africa Youth Cup in 1999. Some of the boys plan to leave the country to play professionally and they are watched by scouts from West Africa and Europe at key matches.

Gaston Rouamba aged 16, is captain of the squad and plays in defence:

"My family lives in Ouagadougou, but I’ve stayed at the Centre for three years, since it was established. We’ve played a lot of games to get this far. Our biggest success so far was to qualify for the youth competition in France during the World Cup. We won a tough game against Mali, winning on penalties after a 0-0 draw. The atmosphere in France was amazing, with supporters from all over the world. I was so happy to be a footballer. I saw five matches, supporting Nigeria. They were unlucky not to go through.

"At home I wouldn’t have had time for football studies and school. Now I’m just one year away from taking my final school examinations. It’s very important for me to continue my education. I can’t play football forever."