Cameroon and Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has won the FIFPRO Impact Award for humanitarian work, as a result of the good works his foundation provides in the form of medical care to underprivileged communities in his home country and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Over 1,200 surgeries have been carried out by doctors in the past three years with the aid of the Andre Onana Foundation, established by the 28-year-old Cameroon international, with a focus on helping with the surgical procedures for different people, particularly children.
⭐️ Andre Onana has been awarded the 2024 FIFPRO Merit Award for Player Impact.
His foundation provides free medical care and surgeries across Sub-Saharan Africa, helping nearly 500 children annually.#MeritAwards | @AndreyOnana pic.twitter.com/2Ndzdm0Gax
— FIFPRO (@FIFPRO) November 26, 2024
This recognition is part of FIFPRO’s Annual Merit Awards which highlights the humanitarian services rendered by players to their respective communities.
“When I passed through Barcelona, Amsterdam and Milan on my way to Manchester United, I had people who helped me on that journey,” Onana said in a statement on FIFPRO’s website.
“When I was down, they gave me a hand so that I could stand up. I’ve never forgotten the help I received. Because of the people in the past who supported me, I feel I have a responsibility to give back and help others.
“When I started the André Onana Foundation, the idea was to help blind children in Cameroon. We received a lot of support and it’s since grown to become an NGO that provides free medical care and surgeries to children and adults from underprivileged communities.”
Onana, who stated that he initially started the foundation to help blind children in Cameroon by bringing in top doctors from Spain to perform surgical procedures in Africa, thanked FIFPRO for the honour.
“I want to thank FIFPRO and the Cameroonian players’ union Synafoc,” he continued. “This big donation is very welcome, and our team already has plans in place to do something special for the kids, hopefully in collaboration with UNICEF.”
Onana’s foundation will be awarded a $10,000 donation from the FIFPRO, the global body for professional footballers, as part of his reward for winning the award.
Onana’s club teammate Marcus Rashford is the only other United player to have won the award, after the English forward earned some goodwill with his campaign for free school meals for underprivileged children in the UK in 2020.
