Manchester United have made it a priority to sign a goalkeeper, while the newcomer at Old Trafford will be Andre Onana. The Red Devils spent £47 million on the Cameroonian goalkeeper, who will replace David De Gea.
The Cameroon international excelled in the club's 2019 Champions League semi-finals. After helping Inter reach the final last season, he thrived in this game.
The 27-year-old has reportedly signed a five-year contract worth around £6.2 million a year.
This goalkeeper ensures that he shares with his homeland the wealth that comes with his fame.
Back in 2020, it was reported that Onana used part of her salary to fund the grid that provides electricity to small African towns.
The generous footballer also set up a foundation to help children whose lives are not going well.
He began his youth career at Barcelona but turned down a contract to join Ajax at the age of 18, which annoyed the Catalan giants.
However, the decision was clearly the right one, as Onana has become one of the best goalkeepers in Europe.
Philanthropy
Born in Cameroon, Onana is not interested in supporting her mother's hometown of Mengeme.
However, after signing a £20,000-a-week contract for Ajax in 2019, he decided he had to give something back.
Onana put his money to good use to finance a grid that would provide electricity to the residents of Essosam.
He brought the people of Mengeme out of the darkness and curbed their dependence on kerosene lamps.
That's not his only charitable donation.
In 2016, Onana set up its own foundation to help African children, giving them access to better education, giving them access to health care and helping those affected by terrorist attacks.
"I know first-hand what many children on the continent are suffering," he revealed.
"Deep down I felt I had to help them have a better future."
The importance of Samuel Eto'o
Part of Onana's success is due to former Barcelona star Samuel Eto'o.
A child prodigy at Cameroon's Legendary Striker Academy, he joined La Masia Academy at the age of 14.
"I am very grateful to his foundation for everything it has done for me," Onana said.
But for Onana in Catalonia, the situation is not ideal.
In 2014, Barcelona were banned by FIFA for violating rules for signing foreign young players.
This meant that the development of Barca's young players stalled, as they were unable to play any official matches for 18 months.
When he returned, he won Player of the Match for Barcelona in the Under-19 youth league against Ajax, which caught the attention of the Ajax coaching staff.
setback
At the age of 18, Onana was frustrated with his chances at Camp Nou.
He firmly believed he belonged to the Barcelona B team, but that summer the road to the first team was blocked with the arrival of Claudio Bravo and Marc Andre Ter Stegen.
There is only one thing to do.
Barcelona offered him a contract, but Ajax's sales pitch was more appealing. He moved to Amsterdam to further develop his skills, much to the annoyance of Spanish legend Antoni Subizareta.
Ironically, when first-team goalkeeper Jasper Silaisen moved to Barcelona in 2016, head coach Peter Bosch decided that the 20-year-old Onana would be his number one goalkeeper.
Opportunities are blocked
Although Onana has now fulfilled his dream of moving to the Premier League, his promotion to a bigger club could have happened earlier.
After making a breakthrough in the 2016-17 season and helping Ajax reach the Europa League final, an unknown top club began talks with him.
However, the goalkeeper revealed that he was told that his skin color would cause problems for fans, so the move was canceled.
"It's not easy for a black goalkeeper to get to the top," Onana told Dutch media
"They decided not to sign me because black goalkeepers were going to make it difficult for their followers."
"It's not because they don't think I'm good enough. I think it's a compliment. ”
The club's loss could certainly be Chelsea's gain.
Redemption at Inter Milan
In 2021, Onana was banned from racing for 12 months after testing positive for the banned substance furosemide, and her career collapsed.
He claimed it was his wife's medicine, which he took by mistake, appealed the decision with the support of Ajax, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced his suspension to nine months.
After seven and a half years in Amsterdam, Onana moved to Inter Milan to restart his career.
In January 2023, he won the Italian Super Cup by beating rivals AC Milan and beat Fiorentina in the final to win the Coppa Italia.
The African also played a major role in his team's reach to the Champions League final, when they narrowly eliminated Manchester City.