Rambo Tapui is a legendary football player from American Samoa. The 34-year-old striker took part of some important moments of the sport’s history in his homeland and he was also one of the best players from this tiny nation with just over 50 thousand inhabitants. However, what few people know is that he retired from football last year.
Tapui left his homeland and he is currently living in the United States of America which ended a successful career as a football player in American Samoa: “I wanted to retire in order to live a different life,” he said.
Rambo have lifted eight national leagues – four with PanSa and four with Pago Youth. He also won the league’s best player award on five occasions. However, when asked about the biggest moment of his career, he mentions a great moment of American Samoa National Football Team: “The best moment of my football career was the 2-1 win over Tonga in 2011. It was amazing, I felt like a curse was lifted, like all that weight on my shoulders went away,” stated Tapui.
He has been involved with football in his homeland since he was a kid and he notices a great evolution of local football, but he believes that American Samoa can do more: “I believe that football in American Samoa is improving a lot. We have facilities and help from out of the country, which is a big thing. I think American Samoa will get there soon,” he pointed.
Despite being out of football, he admits that he can get involved with the sport again in the future: “The passion for football is still there, maybe one day I might get back to be a coach,” explained Rambo who was Pago Youth’s head coach in 2019 OFC Champions League.
His legacy for American Samoa’s football is huge and we hope that one day this nation will have more players with the same passion for our beloved sport.
Oceania Football Center 