Life without football was hard and dark, says Onana, who returned after doping conviction

Cameroonian goalkeeper André Onana had a very turbulent year in his life. Still only twenty-five years old, the goalkeeper was given a one-year doping penalty by UEFA this February after accidentally taking his wife’s prescription medication, which was subsequently reduced to nine months. In an interview with Goal.com, the talented goalkeeper talked about how difficult the time without football has been for him.

The news seemed like a bolt from the blue at the time. The talented Onana was part of a great Ajax team that reached the Champions League semi-finals, the Europa League final or won the Dutch Eredivisie. And suddenly, at a time when his most famous teammates were moving on to Europe’s big clubs, he had to say goodbye to football for a while.

“It was a mistake, which UEFA even acknowledged, but it didn’t help me. I was banned from a lot of things. I couldn’t go to the stadium, the club and its staff couldn’t help me in any way, I couldn’t even work with any other professional coaches,” recalls Onana of the difficult period.

At the beginning of November, Onana’s nine-month suspension officially expired and he was able to return to professional football. Admittedly, it was a surprisingly quick return. The twenty-five-year-old goalkeeper managed to feature in both the Cameroon national jersey and in the Champions League for Ajax upon his return.

“I never expected to be back in goal for Ajax so soon, but they put me in the Champions League. It was a really incredible atmosphere at Besiktas. It’s a great feeling to be back. I’m back with the same mind-set, I want to become the best goalkeeper in the world,” the talented goalkeeper is happy to be back.

André Onana will be able to fulfil his ambitions very soon at the Africa Cup of Nations, which takes place from the edge of January 2022. There, Cameroon will meet Ethiopia, Cape Verde and Burkina Faso in a group. And Cameroon’s national team has the highest goals.

“The Cameroon team has all the ingredients to win and we are not afraid of anyone. We are ready to make our country proud,” adds Onana.

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