It was important for MAN UTD to get a custodian, and Andre Onana will be the new one at Old Trafford.

The Cameroon custodian cost Manchester United £47 million. He will take David De Gea’s place in goal.

 

United has paid £47 million to sign Andre Onana.

Onana is kind and generous. He has set up a fund and gives power to his mom’s town in Cameroon.

The organisation that Onana runs also helps kids from poor families.

The Cameroon player was a big reason why his team made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019.

 

He does really well in competitions like this one; he helped Inter Milan get to the final last year.

The 27-year-old player signed a five-year deal that is said to be worth about £6.2 million a year.

The goalie has also made sure that he has given some of the money he has made back to his home country.

 

Back in 2020, it was said that Onana used some of his pay to pay for an energy grid that gives a small African town power.

The kind-hearted football player also has a charity that helps kids whose lives haven’t been easy.

As a young player, he played for Barcelona, but the Catalan giants were upset when he turned down a contract deal to join Ajax at age 18.

 

But the choice was the right one, as Onana has become one of the best goalkeepers in Europe.

GOAL FOR GOOD CAUSE

Onana, who was born in Cameroon, didn’t mean to back Mengueme, the town where his mother grew up.

 

When he played well for Ajax in 2019, he signed a £20,000-a-week deal, so he thought he had to give something back.

Onana put his money to good use by paying for a power line that gives people in Essoessam energy.

It was no longer dark for the people of Menguene because he took away their need for paraffin lights.

And that’s not the only good thing he’s done for others.

To help young African children get a better education and get medical care, Onana started his foundation in 2016. The foundation also helps people who have been harmed by terrorist acts.

 

“I have seen firsthand what many children in my country are going through,” he said.

“Somewhere inside me, I know I need to help them have a better future.”

WHAT SAMUEL ETO’O MEANS

Onana’s success is helped by Samuel Eto’o, who used to play for Barcelona.

He learned to play football at the famous striker’s school in Cameroon and joined the La Masia school when he was 14.

From his foundation, Onana said, “I’m very thankful for what he did for me.”

But things didn’t go as planned for Onana in Catalonia.

There are rules about signing foreign kids, and Barcelona broke them in 2014, so FIFA banned them.

That meant that the young Barcelona players couldn’t grow because they couldn’t play any competitive games for 18 months.

When he got back, he played for Barcelona against Ajax in a UEFA Youth League game for under-19s. He won “man of the match,” which made the Ajax coaching staff take notice.

BEING ANGRY

 

At age 18, Onana got fed up with his chances at the Camp Nou.

He was sure he belonged on Barcelona’s B team and thought Claudio Bravo and Marc Andre ter Stegen would make it impossible for him to make the first team that summer.

One thing had to be done.

 

Barcelona wanted to sign him, but Ajax made a better case for him. He moved to Amsterdam to improve his game, which made the famous Spanish player Andoni Zubizaretta very angry.

Then, when Jasper Cillessen, the first-team custodian, went to Barcelona in 2016, manager Peter Bosz chose 20-year-old Onana to be his first choice.

Chances Were Limited

 

Even though Onana’s dream move to the Premier League is now a reality, he could have moved up to a bigger club sooner.

After a big season in 2016–17 that helped Ajax make it to the Europa League final, he started talks with a top, unknown team.

 

The custodian said, though, that he was told that fans would not like the move because of the colour of his skin.

The quotes from Onana to the Dutch newspaper Het Parool were also used by Marca. “It is not easy for a black custodian to reach the top,” Onana said.

“They didn’t sign me because their fans would have a hard time with a black custodian.”

 

“It wasn’t because they didn’t like me.” I take it as a praise.”

If that team loses, Chelsea could definitely win.

Redemption at the Inter

Furosemide is a drug that isn’t allowed to be used by athletes, and Onana was banned from playing for a year in 2021. This ended his career.

He said it was his wife’s medicine that he took by accident. He appealed the ruling with Ajax’s help, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport shortened his ban to nine months.

Onana moved to Inter Milan to start over with his career after seven and a half years in Amsterdam.

Against foes AC Milan in January 2023, he won the Supercoppa Italiana. He then went on to beat Fiorentina in the final of the Coppa Italia.

The African also played a big role in his team’s run to the Champions League final, where Man City beat them just barely.