Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana has hit the headlines after being axed from the Cameroon squad just hours before their World Cup clash with Serbia.
The former Ajax shot-stopper has been excluded from the Indomitable Lions camp after refusing to change his style of goalkeeping for manager Rigobert Song, with the 26-year-old adding his latest tirade to a chequered career that has already produced a number of controversial moments.
Following on from his World Cup axe, Mirror Football takes a look at the colourful career of the former Ajax goalkeeper, including his transfer ‘dream’ and drugs ban controversy.
Career so far
A former Barcelona youth product, Onana joined Ajax in 2015 and quickly became their first-choice goalkeeper a year later and racked up 214 appearances in all competitions across a seven-and-a-half-year spell.
The 26-year-old helped the Dutch outfit win six trophies, including three league titles, and was part of the successful side which knocked out Real Madrid and Juventus on their way to reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2018-19 campaign. He was also named in the Eredivisie Team of the Year that season.
Upon the expiration of his Ajax contract in June, Onana joined Inter Milan on a five-year deal and has already registered 13 appearances for the Serie A giants. Outside of domestic action, he has 34 appearances for Cameroon and helped them secure third place at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.
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Premier League transfer ‘dream’
While at Ajax in November 2019, Onana revealed that he was interested in playing in the Premier League, before the Daily Mail reported just over 12 months later that he was still ‘dreaming’ of a move to the English top flight.
The Cameroon international’s representatives held talks with both Chelsea and Tottenham in the summer of 2020, but both sides opted for alternative signings instead. However, the report stated that Onana’s ‘ambitions have not been tempered’.
The Premier League remains his ‘preferred destination’, but after moving to the Italian capital to join Inter during the summer, his top flight ‘dream’ remains on hold for now.
Doping ban
In February 2021, while still plying his trade in Amsterdam, Onana was handed a 12-month playing ban by UEFA following a positive test for Furosemide - a banned substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency as it can be used to mask other forms of doping.
However, Ajax appealed UEFA’s decision by claiming that Onana had taken his wife's medicine by mistake after waking up one morning and feeling unwell, as per a report from The Athletic.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport decided to reduce Onana’s ban to nine months in June 2021, with the Cameroon international registering just 10 appearances in his final campaign for Ajax last season.
Other high-profile incidents
In March this year, Onana was involved in a serious car crash on his way to link up with the Cameroon national team, in which his Range Rover collided with another car that left both with major damage. Thankfully, both drivers walked away unscathed.
