Andre Onana Wins FIFPro Award For Humanitarian Work

Andre Onana received an award from FIFPro (Instagram/@andreonana.24).

JAKARTA - Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has been awarded the FIFPro Player Impact Award for his humanitarian work in his home country, Cameroon, and throughout Africa.

The 28-year-old goalkeeper has a foundation that provides free health services and complex operations in the underprivileged community in Africa Sub-Sahara.

According to a FIFPro statement, medical professionals working with the Andre Onana Foundation have carried out more than 1,200 operations in the last three years.

"When I passed Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Milan on my way to Manchester United, there were people who helped me on the trip," Onana said of the award.

"When I was down, they helped me stand up. I never forgot the help I received."

"Thanks to the support of people in the past, I feel I have a responsibility to repay and help others."

"When I founded the Andre Onana Foundation, the idea was to help blind children in Cameroon."

"We have received a lot of support and since then have developed into NGOs (Community Self-Help Institutions) that provide free medical care and operations for children and adults from underprivileged communities," he said again.

Onana became the second Manchester United player to receive the award. He followed in the footsteps of Marcus Rashford, who got it through a campaign for free school food for underprivileged children in England in 2020.

FIFPro, the global union for professional football players, will donate $10.000 to Onana's charity as part of its win over the award.