From goalkeeper of the year to being out for a year. From elite on the run, from number one to drug ban, from wanted to free. And again unstoppable.
Andre Onana is trying to reach the top of the sport and become European champion, 855 days after he was first banned for doping. It's a journey that would make many people shy away from the challenge or leave them mentally damaged. However, obstacles seem to be an integral part of the Cameroonian's career.
Onana's story is a tale of rise, fall, rise. And all this before he tries to stop Erling Haaland and his City team-mates.
He faced months spent not being allowed to train or play with Ajax. And it was not the first time that Onana was experiencing such a fate. After joining Europe's top club Barcelona, Onana was one of a group of youngsters who could not play after the Spanish club were found to have breached recruitment laws. This led to him being banned from playing for Barcelona effectively at the age of 18. The reception had a lot of influence, and in front was the German Marc-Andre ter Stegen. He had to leave hoping to play at a high level.
The Eredivisie appeared on the horizon and Onana signed for Ajax in 2015, when he was still a teenager. After a season and a half with the second team, he was promoted directly to the first team and barely missed a game for four and a half years. Despite not signing for Inter until this season (2022/23), Onana's last full season for Ajax was 2018/19. The Dutch elite's subsequent edition was cut short early due to the pandemic, while the 2020/21 edition saw him hit with a UEFA doping ban for accidentally ingesting his wife's tablets, which contained a banned substance. The ban was originally 12 months, reduced to nine, but it meant he missed the rest of that season and most of the following, appearing in just six league games in the 2021/22 campaign. Despite this, he won the Dutch title and cup as well as reaching the Europa League final before things picked up once again. It was a new comeback, a new attempt to climb the peaks for Onanan.
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"I can't say anything except to thank Simone Inzaghi for giving me the opportunity to play for Inter. Being here is a source of pride for me and I hope we can go on and win everything," Onana said ahead of the Champions League final.
Inter certainly rely on him, the man who will finally take over from the seemingly eternal Samir Handanovic.
"There have been wonderful and particularly difficult moments in my career. Like, for example, training alone before returning to the club," said Onana.
Onana trained alone and did so effectively, taking a mini-squad with him to Spain to keep fit for months and prepare for his return. It all paid off with a move to Italy and Inter's run in Europe offers a second chance at continental glory.
The porter admits that the mistake with the woman's medicine was his responsibility. Onana had no intention of cheating. The tablet he took offered no sporting advantage and he admitted in his explanation that "human error" ultimately doesn't matter when "you are responsible for everything in your body".
This case would have led to Onana's absence from the Africa Cup of Nations had the penalty not been reduced. Ten months later he lost the World Cup after a more direct confrontation. Had a disagreement with Cameroon coach Rigobert Song and was kicked out of the team. After Cameroon played the first game, Onana and Song argued over tactics and the goalkeeper subsequently retired from international duty. There are only 34 matches with representatives.
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Onana already has a record. He became the first goalkeeper of Inter who has not conceded goals in seven Champions League matches in one season. He has won two trophies with Inter, the Italian Cup and Super Cup, and is looking for the third and most important trophy in European football.
"We have nothing to lose. Rivals have more pressure than us. We have prepared well, we are not stressed at all and we are ready to face a very strong opponent. It is a special match for us as the final of the Champions League can come once in a lifetime", said Onana.
