Today we are off to meet an ex-goalkeeper, but not just any ex-goalkeeper. This one is “the King of all Kings”, Mogho Naaba. “Mogho Naaba is more popular than the president in Burkina Faso,” says Patrick, our driver from DHL, as we head for a traditional ceremony that is open to the public.
Mogho Naaba is king of the Mossi tribe, an ethnic group that covers much of Burkina Faso and reaches into the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Togo. Mossi tradition dictates that the eldest son of the enthroned king must be banished from the royal court. And so, at the tender age of 7, the current Mogho Naaba was sent into exile in France, never to see his father again. When his father eventually died, he was called back to Burkina Faso and became king himself.
The ceremony that we witness takes place every Friday and dates back hundreds of years to the appearance of the first colonial invaders. Unfortunately for us, no photography of the event is allowed. At the start of the ceremony, the king prepares to leave for war dressed all in red, the colour of blood. His horse awaits him in front of the royal palace. But his ministers attempt to prevent him leaving, begging him not to go to war. The king listens to their appeals, goes back into the palace and minutes later returns dressed in white. Relief all round — there will be no war today.
We enter the court of the Mossi kingAfter the ceremony, we are fortunate enough to go to the palace for a private audience with the king of all kings. The Ball is now covered in layer upon layer of signatures, more than four thousand in total. “No one,” we say, “king or layman, is allowed to sign The Ball without first kicking or heading it.” Phil throws him The Ball. Mogho Naaba catches it and says to us “But surely a goalkeeper is allowed to use his hands.”
Mogho Naaba signs The BallAnd so from now on, thanks to the insight of a king, we have a new rule to accompany the signing of The Ball — a goalkeeper is allowed to sign it, but only if he or she catches it first.
The King of all Kings with The Ball of all BallsAfterwards the king leads us on a tour of his private football museum, which is a treasure trove of memorabilia. It includes a signed Ivory Coast shirt worn by his friend Didier Drogba at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, a framed photograph of himself and Roger Milla taken at a celebrity football match, where he played in goal.
And his prized possession? A shirt signed by the entire Welsh national team. He leads us to it with a broad smile. This shirt, he tells us, was worn by Ryan Giggs, with the famous number 11 on it, and it appears to be the king’s favourite. Perhaps he is a Manchester United fan? Diplomatically, Mogho Naaba wouldn’t say.
