André Onana Onana (born 2 April 1996) is a Cameroonian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

club

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

. Onana joined

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

's youth system in 2010. He signed for

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...

in 2015, where he made 214 appearances and won three

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

titles. Onana joined

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...

on a free transfer in July 2022, where he won a

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...

and

Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana ( en, Italian Super Cup) is an annual football match contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season. If the same team wins both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles in the previous seaso ...

title in his sole season at the club, also reaching the

Champions League final The UEFA Champions League is a seasonal football competition established in 1955. Prior to the 1992–93 season, the tournament was named the European Cup. The UEFA Champions League is open to the league champions of all UEFA (Union of European ...

. Manchester United then signed Onana for an initial £43.8 million in 2023. At international level, Onana made 34 appearances for the Cameroon national team from 2016 to 2022.

Club career

Youth career

Born in Nkol Ngok, Onana joined

from the

Samuel Eto'o Samuel Eto'o Fils (; born 10 March 1981) is a Cameroonian football administrator and former player who is the current president of the Cameroonian Football Federation from 11 December 2021. In his prime, Eto'o was regarded by pundits as one of ...

Academy at the age of 14 in 2010. 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.

Ajax

In early January 2015, it was announced that he would join Dutch club

in July 2015. The transfer was brought forward later that month. He made his debut for

Jong Ajax Jong Ajax () (''English: Young Ajax''), also referred to as Ajax II or Ajax 2 is a Dutch association football team, the reserve team of Ajax. It is based in Amsterdam and competes in the Dutch Eerste Divisie. History Jong Ajax (''formerly more ...

in the

Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the ...

in February 2015. He signed a new contract with Ajax in May 2017, running until 2021. In March 2019 he signed a further new contract, until June 2022. In November 2019, he said he was interested in playing in the

in England. In February 2021, Onana was banned from playing for 12 months by

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

after testing positive for

Furosemide Furosemide is a loop diuretic medication used to treat fluid build-up due to heart failure, liver scarring, or kidney disease. It may also be used for the treatment of high blood pressure. It can be taken by injection into a vein or by mouth ...

, a banned substance. Onana said he took his wife's medicine by mistake and Ajax joined him in appealing against the decision. The ban was reduced to nine months by the

Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its co ...

in June. In January 2022, he was linked with a transfer to Italian club

. In May 2022, he announced that he was leaving Ajax. Onana spent seven and a half years with Ajax, making 214 appearances in all competitions during his stint.

Inter Milan

On 1 July 2022,

officially confirmed Onana's signing on a free transfer on a five-year contract. In January 2023 he won the

against rivals

AC Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seasons ...

and also went on to win the

, defeating

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...

in May 2023. He played an integral role in helping guide Inter to the 2023 Champions League Final.

Manchester United

After discussions with the club through the month, on 16 July 2023 it was reported that Onana had agreed personal terms with

for a five-year contract. 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 coach at Ajax,

Erik ten Hag Erik ten Hag (, born 2 February 1970) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player, who is currently the manager of Premier League club Manchester United. As a player, Ten Hag played as a centre-back in the Dutch league for 13 years ...

. He made his debut for the club in a friendly against Real Madrid in Houston on 26 July 2023; he played the full 90 minutes but conceded two goals as United lost 2–0. He made his competitive debut for the club in the Premier League opener against

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

. He kept a clean sheet as United won the game 1–0, 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.

International career

Onana is a former Cameroon youth international. He was named in Cameroon's squad for a friendly against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in May 2016. Onana debuted for Cameroon in a 2–1 friendly win over

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

in September 2016. He featured in the

2021 Africa Cup of Nations The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (also referred to as AFCON 2021 or CAN 2021), known as the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's foo ...

third-place game against

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...

. On 9 November 2022, he was named in the final squad for the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...

in Qatar. He played the first match against

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, before being dropped in the second against

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

, then he was eventually sent home from the tournament on 28 November by manager

Rigobert Song Rigobert Song Bahanag (born 1 July 1976) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who is the manager of the Cameroon national team. Known for his defensive skills, Song usually played as a centre-back but could also operate at right-back ...

due to a disciplinary issue related to arguments about the latter's coaching tactics. Onana announced his retirement from international football on 23 December 2022.

Style of play

Onana is a sweeper-keeper who has strong distribution skills. 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. 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. He was described as resembling a "holding midfielder at times" in UEFA's Technical Observers' report on the 2022–23 Champions League. In July 2023, he was described as "a modern keeper... with the technique of an outfield player".

Personal life

Onana's cousin,

Fabrice Ondoa Joseph Fabrice Ondoa Ebogo (born 24 December 1995) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as goalkeeper for French club Nîmes and the Cameroon national team. Having made his debut in 2014 at the age of 18, he represented Cameroon ...

, also plays as a

. In May 2019, Onana spoke out about being a

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

goalkeeper, saying he had to work harder than his

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

counterparts due to misconceptions about black goalkeepers being more prone to making mistakes.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Ajax *

: 2018–19,

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

, 2021–22 *

KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...

: 2018–19,

Johan Cruyff Shield The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

runner-up: 2016–17 Inter Milan *

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

runner-up:

Cameroon *

Africa Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations referred to as AFCON (french: Coupe d'Afrique des Nations, sometimes referred to as CAN, or TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons), and sometimes as African Cup of Nations, is the main internati ...

third place:

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

Individual * Indomitable Lion of the Year (Cameroonian footballer of the year): 2018 * Best African Goalkeeper: 2018 *

Team of the Year: 2018–19 *

CAF Team of the Year The CAF Team of the Year is an annual football award given by the Confederation of African Football during the CAF Awards. In 2007, the CAF did not choose the team of the year, but rather the best ten players of the last fifty years. The ten playe ...

: 2019 *IFFHS CAF Men Team of The Year: 2020

References

External links

André Onana
at the Inter Milan website
André Onana
at LegaSerieA.it * {{DEFAULTSORT:Onana, Andre 1996 births Living people Cameroonian men's footballers Men's association football goalkeepers Cameroon men's international footballers Cameroon men's youth international footballers 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2019 Africa Cup of Nations players 2021 Africa Cup of Nations players 2022 FIFA World Cup players FC Barcelona players AFC Ajax players Jong Ajax players Inter Milan players Manchester United F.C. players Eredivisie players Eerste Divisie players Serie A players Premier League players Cameroonian expatriate men's footballers Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England Doping cases in association football People from Centre Region (Cameroon)