‘It’s a special moment for me after what happened’ – Ajax star Onana happy to play football again

Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana stood between the sticks for Ajax for the first time in ten months in their 2-1 Champions League victory over Besiktas on Wednesday night and says his return is a ‘special moment for me after what happened.’

In February this year, Onana was banned from football for 12 months by the governing body of European football, UEFA, after testing positive for Furosemide – a banned substance.

Onana 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 – who are now into the knockout stage of this season’s Champions League – appealed the decision and the ban was reduced to nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in June. On November 4, the ban ended.

“After ten months, it felt like another debut,” the 25-year-old, who hadn’t played since January, said after Ajax’s Champions League win against Besiktas. “It was a long time suffering, it wasn’t easy for me. Playing again on this platform is great, and I’m happy to be back.”

The Cameroon footballer of the year in 2018 revealed how nervous he felt before the game and how much it meant to be playing again.

“In the beginning when we were driving to the stadium.. when we were in the dressing room, I was excited, I was nervous and some guys could see and they told me ‘Andre you’re not normally like this.’ But I told them ‘hey, it’s been a long time’,” Onana, who joined Ajax in 2015 and has made 143 appearances for the Eredivisie champions, narrated.

“So it’s a special moment for me after what happened and it’s great to be back and I’m here to help the team if they need me.

“In life, you always have to pass through a lot of things and you learn from shit most of the time … But I always try to look at the positive things & look forward.”