In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, Amadou Onana has expressed his ambition to achieve the highest levels in his career, writes the SW.
Onana was signed by Everton from Lille last summer, a year after he joined Lille from Hamburg, a second division German club. Onana’s impressive performances for Lille earned him a move to Everton and a debut for the Belgian national team in June last year. This season, Onana has been a regular player for Everton, featuring in 28 matches across all competitions. This has been crucial for him to maintain his position in the national team, particularly with the World Cup approaching, as he has already played two matches for Belgium.
As a young player in Belgium, the Everton footballer faced challenges and disappointments as he struggled to impress during his time at Anderlecht and Zulte Waregem. The latter even denied him a travel allowance to attend training sessions. Onana acknowledged that the rejection from Belgian clubs had hurt him, prompting him to move to Germany.
He shared with HLN that he still carries with him the belief that some people did not consider him good enough. However, he takes pride in representing Belgium in the World Cup, where he wore the number 18 on his shirt, and regards it as his greatest achievement. When asked about his aspirations, the Everton player discussed his goals and whether he aims to entertain the supporters.
“I take that phrase with me everywhere. But I think the whole world saw my face during the World Cup”
“That’s not my first goal. I want to reach the very highest for myself. If I succeed, my family will be happy. Mum will call me. My grandfather. On the other hand, football is also a way of expressing myself,” he added.