Andre Onana, the goalkeeper for Cameroon, has left international football following a dispute with head coach Rigobert Song at the World Cup.
Onana, according to Song, requested to sit out of Cameroon’s second group game against Serbia.
He was removed from the national team and left Qatar without playing again after making just an appearance.
“My story with the Cameroonian national team has come to an end,” the 26-year-old declared on Friday.
“Players come and go, names are fleeting, but Cameroon comes before any player or person,” the Inter Milan player continued.
“Cameroon remains eternal, as does my love for the national team and for our people, who have always supported us no matter how difficult the moment was.”
Following his 2016 debut, Onana went on to earn 34 caps.
Brazil and Switzerland advanced to the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup while Cameroon was eliminated in the group stage.
Andre Onana
André Onana Onana is a Cameroonian goalkeeper who competes for Serie A team Inter Milan. He was born on April 2, 1996.
Onana, a Nkol Ngok native, began his career at the Samuel Eto’o Foundation before joining Barcelona in 2010.
Onana was forced to spend one season on loan with the UE Cornellà youth squad in 2012 due to his minor age and extra-communitarian status. He then spent another season on loan with the UD Vista Alegre first team.
He went on to join Dutch team Ajax in July 2015, it was revealed in early January 2015. Later that month, the transfer was moved forward.
In February 2015, he made his Eerste Divisie debut with Ajax.
Professional Career
In May 2017, he agreed to a new deal with Ajax that would last until 2021. He got a new contract in March 2019 that ran through June 2022.
He expressed interest in playing in the English Premier League in November of 2019.
Onana tested positive for the prohibited drug furosemide in February 2021, and UEFA imposed a 12-month suspension on him.
Ajax said that he accidentally took his wife’s medication and that they would appeal the ruling.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport shortened the suspension to nine months in June.
He was rumored to be moving to the Italian club Inter Milan in January 2022. He made his intention to leave Ajax known in May 2022.
Onana played with Ajax for seven and a half years, amassing 214 games across all competitions.
Inter Milan formally announced Onana’s five-year contract on July 1, 2022.
Andre Onana for Cameroon
Former Cameroon youth international Onana was included in the Cameroon team for a friendly match against France on May 2016.
In a 2-1 friendly victory against Gabon in September 2016, Onana made his Cameroon debut.
He participated in the third-place match between Burkina Faso and the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
He was picked to the final roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar on November 9, 2022.
He participated in the first game against Switzerland before being benched for the second game against Serbia. On November 28, he was ultimately suspended from the tournament as a result of a disciplinary matter involving disagreements with his coach, Rigobert Song, regarding tactics.
On December 23, 2022, Onana made a retirement announcement from international football.
What Happened Between Onana and Rigobert Song?
Just before the nation’s second 2022 World Cup group stage match against Serbia, news of the falling out between Onana and his national team manager, Rigobert Song, surfaced.
Uncertainty surrounds the specifics of the argument between the two, but it was reportedly over how to play the game.
Onana’s contemporary goalkeeping technique reportedly made Song unhappy, and the goalie didn’t like the coach’s pragmatism.
As a result, Onana was expelled from the team, left Qatar during the World Cup, and is currently fully retired from the national team.
Onana is still only 26 years old, therefore, there is still a chance that he will one day play for the Indomitable Lions again.
