Andre Onana will be the new goalkeeper at Old Trafford after MAN UTD made finding a goalie a top priority.
The Cameroon goalkeeper, who will take David De Gea’s place in goal, cost the Red Devils £47 million.
Andre Onana was acquired by Manchester United for £47 million.
Charitable Onana runs a foundation that supplies his mother’s Cameroonian village with power.
Children from underprivileged families are also helped by Onana’s charity.
When the team advanced to the 2019 Champions League semifinals, the Cameroon international was a revelation.
After guiding Inter Milan to the championship game the previous season, he excels in this competition.
The 27-year-old has agreed to a five-year contract that is allegedly worth £6.2 million annually.
Additionally, the goalie has ensured that he has distributed the fortune he has amassed to his native country.
Back in 2020, it was reported that Onana used part of his salary to fund an electric grid that provides electricity for a small African town.
The generous footballer also has a foundation that provides help for children who haven’t had the easiest of lives.
He began his youth career at Barcelona but annoyed the Catalan giants when he snubbed an offer of a contract to join Ajax at 18.
Onana has since become one of Europe’s top keepers, therefore the choice was the right one.
A CHARITABLE CAUSE
Onana, who was born in Cameroon, had no intention of helping out his mother’s homeland of Mengueme.
Nevertheless, he felt compelled to return something after agreeing to a £20,000-per-week deal in 2019 while playing for Ajax.
Onana made good use of his money by investing in a power grid that supplies the people of Essoessam with electricity.
He reduced the Menguene people’s dependency on kerosene lamps and lifted them out of the dark.
And he has made other charity contributions as well.
He disclosed, “I have direct knowledge of the suffering endured by a large number of children in my nation.”
“I feel compelled to help them have a better future.”
The significance of Samuel Eto’o
Samuel Eto’o, a former Barcelona star, has contributed to Onana’s success.
He joined the La Masia Academy at the age of 14 after being a prodigy at the renowned striker’s Cameroonian academy.
Onana told OmaSportsTV, “I’m really grateful for what he did for me coming from his foundation.”
For Onana in Catalonia, however, things didn’t quite work out.
Due to FIFA’s regulations regarding the signing of foreign youth, Barcelona was banned in 2014.
As a result of being unable to participate in competitive games for 18 months, the growth of the Barça youth was stunted.
He alerted Ajax’s coaching team after he earned man-of-the-match in an Under-19 UEFA Youth League encounter while playing for Barcelona.
FRUSTRATIONOnana became dissatisfied with his opportunities at Camp Nou when he was eighteen.
Claudio Bravo and Marc Andre ter Stegen’s signings that summer impeded his road to the first squad, despite his insistence that he belonged in Barcelona’s B team.
There was nothing else to do.
He received a contract offer from Barcelona, but Ajax’s sales push was stronger. To further improve his skills, he relocated to Amsterdam, much to the chagrin of Spanish great Andoni Zubizaretta.
Additionally, manager Peter Bosz determined that 20-year-old Onana would be his number one when first-team keeper Jasper Cillessen ironically moved to Barcelona in 2016.Even though Onana has now made his ideal move to the Premier League, his opportunities to advance to a more prestigious club should have been sooner.
Negotiations with a top unknown team started after he helped Ajax reach the Europa League final in 2016–17, which was a breakthrough season.
The goalie, however, disclosed that the move was canceled after he was informed that the color of his skin would cause issues for supporters.
Onana said to the Dutch publication Het Parool, “It is not easy for a black goalkeeper to reach the top,” and Barcelona also covered the quotes.
They didn’t think I was good enough, that’s why. I take it as a compliment.
Chelsea could undoubtedly benefit from that club’s loss.
At Inter, redemption
Onana’s career was ruined in 2021 when he tested positive for the illegal drug furosemide and was banned from playing for a year.
With Ajax’s help, he appealed the ruling, claiming that he had taken his wife’s medication by mistake. The Court of Arbitration for Sport lowered his ban to nine months.
Onana relocated to Inter Milan to restart his career after seven and a half years in Amsterdam.
He defeated Fiorentina in the final to win the Coppa Italia after overcoming rivals AC Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana in January 2023.
The African also played a key role in his team’s progress to the Champions League final, when Man City defeated them by a slim margin.