Cameroon and Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or 2023. The former Nerazzurri shot-stopper who helped Inter Milan reach the Champions League final in the 2022/23 season made the 30-man Ballon D’or list.
Onana is one of only three Africans to feature on the list alongside Yassine Bounou (Morocco and Al Hilal) and Mohammed Salah (Egypt and Liverpool).
Last season’s winner Karim Benzema and 7-time Ballon D’or winner also made the list.
Known for ball distribution style on the pitch, Onana becomes the first Cameroon Goalkeeper to be nominated for the prestigious award and the only Cameroonian to be nominated since Samuel Eto'o Fils in 2011.
Other Cameroonians to have been nominated for the Ballon d'Or are Geremi Njitap and Patrick Mboma.
The 27-year-old, who has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, is also in the running for the Yachine Trophy, an award given to the best goalkeeper in the world.
He will be competing in this category alongside World Cup semi-finalist Yassine Bonnou (Morocco and Al Hilal), Brazil’s Ederson Moraes, who won the treble with Manchester City last season, and World Cup winner Emiliano Martínez (Argentina and Aston Villa).
Yachine Tophy 2023 nominees
- Yassine Bounou - Sevilla/Al Hilal
- Ederson - Manchester City
- Mike Maignan - AC Milan
- Andre Onana - Inter/Manchester United
- Brice Samba - Lens
- Thibaut Courtois - Real Madrid
- Dominik Livakovic - Dinamo Zagreb/Fernbahce
- Emiliano Martinez - Aston Villa
- Aaron Ramsdale - Arsenal
- Marc-Andre Ter Stegen - Barcelona
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Onana will be hoping to win the prestigious award this time around after finishing 7th in the inaugural edition 4years ago.
The Cameroonian shot-stopper shone in the 2022-23 Champions League, helping Inter Milan to reach the final, where they narrowly lost 1-0 to Manchester City.
Having recorded a pass accuracy of 74.89%, Onana kept eight clean sheets and made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the 2022/ 2023 Champions League Season.
Onana, who is known for his creative and offensive style of play, became the first Inter Milan keeper to record a total of 8 clean sheets in a single Champions League season.
He played a vital role as Inter Won the Coppa Italia and Super Cup, having recorded a total of 19 clean sheets in 41 appearances for Inter Milan last season.
Andre's Brilliant Spell with Seria A giants Inter Milan facilitated his move to English Premier League Side Manchester United this season.
Although Onana has had some hurdles in the way, like retiring from International duties after the last FIFA World Cup, he is back in the Indomitable Lion's den with his teammates as they prepare to square off against Burundi in a must-win AFCON 2023 qualification match on Tuesday, September 12th, 2023 at the Roumde Adjia Stadium in Garoua.
The Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, on October 30, 2023.