Gilles Yapi-Yapo Breaks His Silence: From Football Fame to Faith in Christ
Ivorian international Gilles Yapi-Yapo has made a powerful revelation about his life beyond the pitch. In a deeply personal and spiritual testimony shared on undeplus.net and abidjan-immobilier.net, the former ASEC Mimosas product and Ivory Coast international opened up about the dark path he followed during his football career—and the divine light that ultimately saved him.
“I realized my dream very early, that of becoming a professional footballer,” Yapi-Yapo said. “But with popularity came money, temptation, and a world I wasn’t ready for—vices, perversity, pornography, masturbation…”
The former midfielder, who played for clubs like Nantes, Young Boys, and FC Basel, admitted that behind the glory, trophies, and international caps, he was battling with spiritual emptiness and occult practices. He described feeling enslaved by fame and lost in an identity built solely around football.
“I began to have health problems—not serious, but enough to stop me from playing. I even had suicidal thoughts. In the occult world, I was asked to sacrifice my son. But something in me said no.”
That turning point came through his Christian girlfriend, who introduced him to the faith that transformed his life.
“I passed from the kingdom of darkness to that of light. My transfer wasn’t in the headlines, but I was bought at an inestimable price by the blood of Christ.”
Yapi-Yapo now lives as a devout Christian, using his platform to share his testimony and warn young players about the hidden dangers behind the spotlight of professional sports.
His revelations echo past allegations by former Cameroonian footballer Benjamin Diboué, who had claimed occult practices were widespread in African football. While such claims remain controversial, Yapi-Yapo’s story adds a personal and emotional dimension to an ongoing conversation about the cost of fame, and the spiritual void it sometimes conceals.
In Yapi-Yapo’s words:
“Today I am truly happy. My identity is not football. My identity is Christ.”