Frank Christian
Manchester United’s goalkeeper, Andre Onana, has been awarded the 2024 FIFPRO Merit Award for Player Impact.
This accolade recognizes his remarkable commitment to enhancing healthcare access in Sub-Saharan Africa through the Andre Onana Foundation.
Since its inception, the foundation has offered free medical services and surgeries to underserved communities, assisting almost 500 children each year.
In the last three years alone, it has coordinated over 1,200 surgical procedures in collaboration with medical experts.
Initially concentrating on supporting blind children in Cameroon, Onana’s mission has since grown. With medical teams, predominantly from Spain, his foundation is bringing hope and medical care to many.
Onana’s touching reaction
After receiving the award, Onana shared his appreciation, stating: “Thank you for acknowledging the remarkable work of the André Onana Foundation in uplifting our community. We are dedicated to this cause.”
Thank you for this recognition of the outstanding work carried out by the #AndreOnanaFoundation to improve our community. Our commitment remains steadfast. We will continue working together. https://t.co/IKNaPhijkM
— Andre Onana (@AndreyOnana) November 26, 2024
Onana also reflected on his personal journey and the support that helped him along the way, expressing, “I feel a duty to give back due to the assistance I received during tough times.”
Marcus Rashford also recognized
Onana is among esteemed FIFPRO honorees, including Marcus Rashford, who received the same award in 2020 for his advocacy in providing meals for underprivileged children in the UK.
This year, the recognitions also highlighted Linda Sallstrom from Finland for her human rights work and Ga-Ae Kang from South Korea for her contributions to women’s football advancement.
While Onana excels in his philanthropic efforts, he continues to shine on the field as well.
Leading the Premier League with five clean sheets, he showcases his talents as both an athlete and a humanitarian.
