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André Onana

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André Onana
Onana with Cameroon in 2022
Personal information
Full name André Onana Onana[1]
Date of birth (1996-04-02) 2 April 1996 (age 28)[2]
Place of birth Nkol Ngok, Cameroon
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[3]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 24
Youth career
0000–2010 Samuel Eto'o Academy
2010–2015 Barcelona
2012–2013 → Cornellà (loan)
2013–2014 → Vista Alegre (loan)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2016 Jong Ajax 39 (0)
2016–2022 Ajax 148 (0)
2022–2023 Inter Milan 24 (0)
2023– Manchester United 49 (0)
International career‡
2016– Cameroon 46 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Cameroon
Africa Cup of Nations
Third place 2021 Cameroon
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:09, 10 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15:50, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

André Onana Onana (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃dʁe ɔnana];[4] born 2 April 1996) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Manchester United and the Cameroon national team.

Onana joined Barcelona's youth system in 2010. He signed for Ajax in 2015, where he made 214 appearances and won three Eredivisie titles. Onana joined Inter Milan on a free transfer in July 2022, winning a Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana title in his sole season at the club, also reaching the Champions League final. Manchester United then signed Onana for an initial £43.8 million in 2023.

At international level, Onana has made more than 40 appearances for the Cameroon national team since making his debut in September 2016.

Club career

[edit]

Youth career

[edit]

Born in Nkol Ngok,[5] Onana joined Barcelona from the Samuel Eto'o Academy at the age of 14 in 2010.[6][7] Because he was under 18 and a non-EU citizen, Onana had to go on loan in the 2012–13 season to the youth team of Cornellà, before being loaned again the next season to the first-team of Vista Alegre.[8]

Ajax

[edit]
Onana with Ajax in 2016

In early January 2015, it was announced that he would join Dutch club Ajax in July 2015.[9] The transfer was brought forward later that month.[10][11][12] He made his debut for Jong Ajax in the Eerste Divisie in February 2015.[13] He signed a new contract with Ajax in May 2017, running until 2021.[14] In March 2019 he signed a further new contract, until June 2022.[15] In November 2019, he said he was interested in playing in the Premier League in England.[16]

In February 2021, Onana was banned from playing for 12 months by UEFA after testing positive for Furosemide, a banned substance. Onana said he took his wife's medicine by mistake and Ajax joined him in appealing against the decision.[17] The ban was reduced to nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in June.[18]

In January 2022, he was linked with a transfer to Italian club Inter Milan.[19] In May 2022, he announced that he was leaving Ajax.[20] Onana spent seven and a half years with Ajax, making 214 appearances in all competitions during his stint.[21]

Inter Milan

[edit]

On 1 July 2022, Inter Milan officially confirmed Onana's signing on a free transfer on a five-year contract.[21][22]

In January 2023, he won the Supercoppa Italiana against rivals AC Milan,[23] and also went on to win the Coppa Italia, defeating Fiorentina in May 2023.[24] He played an integral role in helping guide Inter to the 2023 Champions League Final.[25]

Manchester United

[edit]

After discussions with the club through the month,[26] on 16 July 2023 it was reported that Onana had agreed personal terms with Premier League club Manchester United for a five-year contract.[27] Manchester United confirmed the transfer on 20 July, for an initial £43.8 million fee with Inter for the transfer of Onana, with a potential £3.4 million in add-ons, which saw Onana rejoin his former Ajax coach, Erik ten Hag.[28][29]

Onana made his competitive debut for the club in the Premier League opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 14 August. He kept a clean sheet as United won the game 1–0,[30] but was at the centre of controversy after referee Simon Hooper and VAR Michael Salisbury opted not to award a late penalty for a foul by Onana on Saša Kalajdžić.[31] On 20 September, following a 4–3 defeat against Bayern Munich in the Champions League opening fixture, Onana said he had "let the team down" following mistakes during the match.[32] He was then described by journalist Guillem Balague as "not the perfect goalkeeper but good enough for Manchester United".[33] Ten Hag later said that Onana should be inspired by Manchester United's legendary goalkeepers Peter Schmeichel and David de Gea.[34]

On 24 October 2023, he saved a penalty in the 97th minute in a Champions League match which ended in a 1–0 victory against Copenhagen, leading to his club's first win in the competition that season.[35][36]

A month later, Onana was heavily criticised for his performance in a 3–3 Champions League draw against Galatasaray; he was directly blamed for Galatasaray's first two goals, which came from former Ajax teammate Hakim Ziyech free kicks. The BBC called it "a night of suffering for Onana", who "produced a horror show to undermine much of United's good work", while the Manchester Evening News declared he "carelessly conceded" the first Galatasaray goal, "catastrophically fumbled" the second and "too easily beaten" for the third.[37][38][39] He was defended by manager Erik ten Hag, who opined that Onana's stats showed him to be the second-best goalkeeper in the Premier League.[40]

At the end of his first season, he said it had taken six months for him to "feel good".[41]

International career

[edit]

Onana is a former Cameroon youth international.[9] He was named in Cameroon's squad for a friendly against France in May 2016.[42]

Onana debuted for Cameroon in a 2–1 friendly win over Gabon in September 2016.[43] He featured in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations third-place game against Burkina Faso.[44] On 9 November 2022, he was named in the final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[45] He played the first match against Switzerland, before being dropped in the second against Serbia, then he was eventually sent home from the tournament on 28 November by manager Rigobert Song due to a disciplinary issue related to arguments about the latter's coaching tactics.[46][47] Onana announced his retirement from international football on 23 December 2022.[48]

Just over eight months later, on 29 August 2023, Onana was recalled into the Cameroon squad by Rigobert Song for an Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Burundi.[49] The goalkeeper formally confirmed his return to international football several days later, on 4 September, via a message posted on social media, stating that, "in the face of manipulation, lies and abuse of power", he had chosen to "stay loyal to my principle, representing with pride a country that deserves our sincere commitment."[50][51][52] Former player Patrick Suffo said that Onana's return did not mean there were still not problems at the national team.[53]

Style of play

[edit]

Onana is a sweeper-keeper who has strong distribution skills.[54][55] He regularly comes out of his box to help build-up play and is known for his confidence on the ball and range of passing.[56] In Cameroon's opening 2022 World Cup game against Switzerland, Onana had more touches of the ball outside of the box (26) than any goalkeeper in a World Cup match since records began in 1966.[57] He was described as resembling a "holding midfielder at times" in UEFA's Technical Observers' report on the 2022–23 Champions League.[58]

In July 2023, he was described as "a modern keeper... with the technique of an outfield player".[59]

Personal life

[edit]

Onana's cousin, Fabrice Ondoa, also plays as a goalkeeper.[60]

In May 2019, Onana spoke out about being a black goalkeeper, saying he had to work harder than his white counterparts due to misconceptions about black goalkeepers being more prone to making mistakes.[61]

Onana is married to Melanie Kamayou and they have a son together.[62]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of match played 10 November 2024[13]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Jong Ajax 2014–15 Eerste Divisie 13 0 — — — — 13 0
2015–16 Eerste Divisie 24 0 — — — — 24 0
2016–17 Eerste Divisie 2 0 — — — — 2 0
Total 39 0 — — — — 39 0
Ajax 2016–17 Eredivisie 32 0 0 0 — 14[c] 0 — 46 0
2017–18 Eredivisie 33 0 1 0 — 4[d] 0 — 38 0
2018–19 Eredivisie 33 0 4 0 — 18[e] 0 — 55 0
2019–20 Eredivisie 24 0 3 0 — 11[f] 0 1[g] 0 39 0
2020–21 Eredivisie 20 0 0 0 — 6[e] 0 — 26 0
2021–22 Eredivisie 6 0 2 0 — 2[e] 0 — 10 0
Total 148 0 10 0 — 55 0 1 0 214 0
Inter Milan 2022–23 Serie A 24 0 3 0 — 13[e] 0 1[h] 0 41 0
Manchester United 2023–24 Premier League 38 0 5 0 2 0 6[e] 0 — 51 0
2024–25 Premier League 11 0 0 0 0 0 4[c] 0 1[i] 0 16 0
Total 49 0 5 0 2 0 10 0 1 0 67 0
Career total 260 0 18 0 2 0 78 0 3 0 361 0
  1. ^ Includes KNVB Cup, Coppa Italia, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ a b c d e Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. ^ Ten appearances in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League
  7. ^ Appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield
  8. ^ Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
  9. ^ Appearance in FA Community Shield

International

[edit]
As of match played 19 November 2024[43]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Cameroon 2016 1 0
2017 1 0
2018 6 0
2019 8 0
2020 2 0
2021 2 0
2022 14 0
2023 3 0
2024 9 0
Total 46 0

Honours

[edit]

Ajax[13]

Inter Milan

Manchester United

Cameroon

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017: List of Players: Cameroon" (PDF). FIFA. 2 July 2017. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2017.
  2. ^ André Onana – UEFA competition record (archive)
  3. ^ "André Onana". Inter Milan. Archived from the original on 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Mondial-2022 : Le gardien André Onana écarté de l'équipe du Cameroun pour indiscipline" [World-2022: Goalkeeper André Onana dismissed from the Cameroon team for indiscipline]. YouTube (in French). France 24. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  5. ^ "André Onana on the error that led to a nine-month ban: '40mg can destroy a career'". theguardian.com. 30 December 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Barcelona line up possible move for Ajax goalkeeper Onana". sport.es. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  7. ^ "The story of Andre Onana — one of Europe's most wanted goalkeepers". theathletic.com. 21 April 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Onana, cedido al Vista Alegre". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 1 July 2013. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  9. ^ a b Oluwashina Okeleji (4 January 2015). "Cameroon's Onana to join Ajax from Barcelona". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  10. ^ "Talentvolle Onana lost keepersprobleem Ajax op" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  11. ^ "Onana makes immediate Ajax switch". Soccerway. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  12. ^ "Barca's Onana makes immediate Ajax switch". FourFourTwo. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  13. ^ a b c André Onana at Soccerway. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  14. ^ Oluwashina Okeleji (17 May 2017). "Onana commits future to Ajax until 2021". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  15. ^ Njie Enow (29 March 2019). "Andre Onana: Cameroon goalkeeper extends contract with Ajax". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  16. ^ "Cameroon keeper Andre Onana open to Premier League move". BBC Sport. 6 November 2019. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana given 12-month doping ban". The Athletic. 5 February 2021. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Andre Onana: Cameroon and Ajax keeper has doping ban reduced". BBC Sport. 10 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana undergoing Inter Milan medical ahead of summer move to Serie A - reports". Eurosport.co.uk. 4 January 2022.
  20. ^ "Thanks for all @AFCAjax". Twitter.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Inter Milan sign Cameroon keeper Onana from Ajax". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  22. ^ "ANDRÉ ONANA È UN NUOVO CALCIATORE DELL'INTER" (in Italian). Inter Milan. 1 July 2022. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  23. ^ "Inter Milan Goalkeeper Andre Onana Reacts After Super Cup Triumph". Sports Brief. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  24. ^ "Andre Onana and Dumfries Display 'Brotherly' Dance after Coppa Italia Win". Sports Brief. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  25. ^ "Andre Onana: Cameroon outcast 'feeling good' as Inter Milan prepare for Champions League final". BBC Sport. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  26. ^ "Man Utd hope to conclude deal for Inter's Onana". BBC Sport. 7 July 2023.
  27. ^ "Andre Onana: Manchester United on brink of signing Inter Milan goalkeeper". BBC Sport. 16 July 2023.
  28. ^ "Transfer News: United sign Onana from Inter". 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  29. ^ "Man Utd complete signing of Onana for £47.2m". BBC Sport. 20 July 2023.
  30. ^ Stone, Simon (14 August 2023). "Manchester United 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Raphael Varane heads winner". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  31. ^ Stone, Simon (15 August 2023). "Man Utd 1-0 Wolves: Officials to miss weekend games after penalty error". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  32. ^ "Man Utd lost to Bayern because of me - Onana". BBC Sport.
  33. ^ "'Not perfect but good enough' - Onana's start at Man Utd". BBC Sport.
  34. ^ "Ten Hag wants Onana to learn from United legends". BBC Sport. 20 October 2023.
  35. ^ "Onana and Maguire rescue Manchester United with win against Copenhagen". The Guardian. 24 October 2023.
  36. ^ "Unlikely heroes Maguire and Onana step up for Man Utd". BBC Sport.
  37. ^ "Man Utd on brink as hapleess Onana again flouts billing as top keeper". BBC Sport. 29 November 2023.
  38. ^ "Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag refuses to blame Andre Onana after Galatasaray mistakes". Manchester Evening News. 29 November 2023.
  39. ^ "Manchester United player ratings vs Galatasaray as Bruno Fernandes good and Andre Onana poor". Manchester Evening News. 29 November 2023.
  40. ^ "'Onana is second best in Premier League on stats'". BBC Sport.
  41. ^ "Andre Onana: Man United goalkeeper on difficult season & Man City FA Cup final". BBC Sport. 24 May 2024.
  42. ^ "Cameroon's Moukandjo to miss friendly against France". BBC Sport. 22 May 2016. Archived from the original on 26 May 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  43. ^ a b "André Onana". national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  44. ^ a b AfricaNews. "Cameroon beats Burkina Faso to end AFCON 2021 in third place | Africanews". Africanews. Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  45. ^ Cameroon national football team [@LIndomptables] (9 November 2022). "Liste des 26 Lions Indomptables qui iront défendre les couleurs du Cameroun à la Coupe du Monde FIFA Qatar 2022" [List of the 26 Indomitable Lions who will defend the colours of Cameroon at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.] (Tweet) (in French). Retrieved 12 November 2022 – via Twitter.
  46. ^ "Cameroon release statement over Andre Onana departure". 90min.com. 28 November 2022. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  47. ^ "World Cup 2022: Coach Song suspends Andre Onana from Cameroon squad for 'disciplinary reasons'". BBC Sport. 28 November 2022. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  48. ^ "Official: Inter goalkeeper Onana announces international retirement". Football Italia. 23 December 2022. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  49. ^ "Manchester United number one Andre Onana recalled by Cameroon". BBC Sport. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  50. ^ Scalco, Léo (4 September 2023). "MU : André Onana a pris une grande décision concernant son avenir avec le Cameroun". Foot Mercato (in French). Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  51. ^ Cortegana, Mario (4 September 2023). "Onana comes out of retirement to rejoin Cameroon national team". The Athletic. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  52. ^ Pérez, Guillermo (4 September 2023). "Onana acepta la llamada de Camerún tras haber renunciado hace 9 meses". Diario AS (in European Spanish). Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  53. ^ "Onana back 'for Cameroon, not the manager' - Suffo". BBC Sport. 6 September 2023.
  54. ^ "Inter's Onana bringing back sweeper keeper role for Cameroon at World Cup". football-italia.net. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  55. ^ "Why Man Utd should sign Andre Onana this summer – and forget David de Gea clone Jordan Pickford". inews.co.uk. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  56. ^ "Why Andre Onana would be a perfect transfer for Manchester United and Ten Hag". theathletic.com. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  57. ^ "Song confirms Onana dropped for discipline reasons". beinsports.com. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  58. ^ "UEFA Champions League technical talking points". uefa.com. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  59. ^ "Bans, bust-ups & brilliance - meet 'modern keeper' Onana". BBC Sport.
  60. ^ "Onana-Ondoa: El dulce momento de dos primos que se formaron en el Barça" [Onana-Ondoa: The sweet moment of two cousins who formed in Barça] (in Spanish). Sport. 26 January 2017. Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  61. ^ "Cameroon's Andre Onana: 'Black keepers have to work harder'". BBC Sport. 6 May 2019. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  62. ^ Sports, Pulse (4 January 2024). "Melanie Kamayou: 7 things to know about André Onana's beautiful wife who was fingered in doping ban". Pulse Sports Nigeria. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  63. ^ "2016/17: United win it for Manchester". UEFA. 30 May 2017. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  64. ^ Mackenzie, Alasdair (24 May 2023). "Fiorentina 1-2 Inter Milan - Lautaro Martinez scores double as the Nerazzurri defend Coppa Italia". Euro Sport. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  65. ^ "AC Milan 0-3 Inter Milan: Simone Inzaghi's side ease to Supercoppa win over rivals to defend title". Euro Sport. 18 January 2023. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  66. ^ McNulty, Phil (10 June 2023). "Man City beat Inter Milan 1–0 in Champions League final to claim Treble". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  67. ^ "Manchester City 1–2 Manchester United: Line-ups". BBC Sport. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  68. ^ a b "SESCO Awards 2018 : André Onana élu meilleur Lion indomptable et meilleur gardien Africain". Cameroun Sports. 17 May 2019. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  69. ^ "Frenkie de Jong Eredivisie Player of the Season 2018/2019". Eredivisie. 16 May 2019. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  70. ^ "Mane, Oshoala named African Footballers of 2019 at CAF Awards". CAFOnline.com. CAF. 7 January 2020. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  71. ^ "Osimhen, Oshoala named African Men's and Women's Player of the Year at the CAF Awards 2023". CAF. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  72. ^ "CAF MEN TEAM 2020 by IFFHS". iffhs.de. 13 December 2020. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  73. ^ "Onana wins Castrol Save of the Month award". Premier League. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  74. ^ "Onana wins Premier League Save of the Month award". Premier League. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
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