“Our greatest glory is not in never falling” – Onana pens philosophical message to fans after return from doping ban

In February this year, Andre Onana, Ajax’s goalkeeper, was banned from playing for 12 months by UEFA after testing positive for Furosemide, a banned substance.

The Cameroon international explained after that he had accidentally taken a pill containing the substance after mistaking his wife’s medicine for aspirin, and had asked for the ban to be overturned rather than reduced.

Ajax, however, appealed the decision and the ban was reduced to nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in June. The ban ended on November 4 and the 25-year-old is back, ready for action.

In a post on social media, the goalkeeper celebrated his return, saying: “Life has taught me that it doesn’t matter what others think. The important thing is to value what you are, what you do and what you feel.

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

“What doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger. I’M BACK.”

Onana joined Ajax in 2016 and has made 142 appearances for the Dutch top-division club, winning two Eredivisie titles. The goalkeeper, who was adjudged Cameroon’s best footballer of the year in 2018, is currently being linked with Arsenal and Inter Milan.