Andre Onana, Manchester United’s goalkeeper, has received the 2024 FIFPRO Merit Award for Player Impact.
This prestigious honor celebrates his extraordinary efforts to improve healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa through the Andre Onana Foundation.
Since its founding, the foundation has provided free medical care and surgeries to underprivileged communities, helping nearly 500 children annually.
Over the past three years, it has facilitated more than 1,200 surgeries in partnership with medical professionals.
Onana’s work began with a focus on aiding blind children in Cameroon but has since expanded into a broader mission. With teams of doctors, mainly from Spain, his foundation brings hope and healing to countless lives.
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Andre Onana’s heartfelt response
Upon receiving the award, Onana expressed his gratitude, saying: “Thank you for this recognition of the outstanding work carried out by the André Onana Foundation to improve our community. Our commitment remains steadfast.”
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
The goalkeeper also reflected on his journey and the people who helped him succeed, stating, “I feel a responsibility to give back because of the help I received when I was down.”
Marcus Rashford also won this award
Onana joins a distinguished list of FIFPRO winners, including Marcus Rashford, who was honored in 2020 for his work feeding disadvantaged children in the UK.
This year’s awards also recognized Finland’s Linda Sallstrom for her activism on human rights and South Korea’s Ga-Ae Kang for her efforts to advance women’s football.
While Onana has been making waves off the pitch, he remains a crucial figure on it.
With five clean sheets, he leads the Premier League in this category, proving his excellence both as a player and a humanitarian.
