André Onana is a football player playing for Manchester United at club level. He is a Cameroon international goalkeeper. He is an excellent goalkeeper who often plays high and outside of his box as a sweeper given his distribution skills.
Club Career
Onana was born in his native Cameroon but joined Spanish club FC Barcelona’s youth system in 2010 as a 14-year-old due to links with compatriot Samuel Eto'o who played for the Catalans and had set up an academy.
In 2015, Onana signed for Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam, debuting for Jong Ajax initially in February of that year. After two seasons with Jong Ajax, he made his first-team debut in 2016-17, quickly becoming a regular with the Eredivisie powerhouse.
Team |
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Position | Goalkeeper |
Height / weight | 1.9 m / 93 kg |
Born | 2 Apr 1996 |
Nationality |
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Number | 24 |
Team History | |
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2023 - present |
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2022 - 2023 |
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2016 - 2022 |
Jong Ajax | 2015 - 2016 |
Onana whelped Ajax win the Eredivisie title on three occasions - 2018-19, 2020-21 and 2021-22 - plus two KNVB Cup titles - 2019 and 2021 - as well as helping the side reach the Europa League final in 2016-17, losing 2-0 in the final to Manchester United where he played a full game. In Ajax’s 2018-19 title-winning campaign, Onana was named in the Eredivisie Team of the Year.
However in 2021 Onana was suspended from playing for 12 months by UEFA after a positive test for banned substance, Furosemide. He appealed the decision and had it reduced to nine months, claiming he accidentally took his wife’s medicine.
In July 2022, Onana officially joined Italian giants Inter Milan on a five-year contract, arriving on a free transfer after 214 appearances for Ajax. Onana only spent one season with Inter, helping them win both the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana, while they also reached the UEFA Champions League final but again he suffered defeat in a continental decider, losing 1-0 to Manchester City.
Only a few months later, Onana would sign with another Manchester club, joining Manchester United on a five-year deal in July 2023. The initial fee was 43.8 million pounds. At United, Onana would link up with ex-Ajax mentor Erik ten Hag. In his early months with the Red Devils he quickly became their first-choice goalkeeper, replacing the departed David De Gea, but a handful of errors early in his time with United meant he hadn’t fully convinced fans.
International Career
Onana debuted for Cameroon in September 2016 against Gabon. He established himself as the Indomitable Lions’ first-choice keeper in 2018 and 2019 and was part of the country’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations’ run to the semi-finals, before eventually settling for third place.
He was part of Cameroon’s squad at the 2022 World Cup and started their first game but was dropped by manager Rigobert Song for the second game. The fallout from that was significant, with Onana sent home for disciplinary reasons. He was “temporarily suspended” from he Cameroon team before announcing his international retirement in December 2022.
However, in August 2023, Song recalled Onana for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Burundi, with the goalkeeper accepting the offer and playing the game. After confirming his international return, Onana said on social media it was “in the face of manipulation, lies and abuse of power”.