In his comprehensive analysis of Ajax’s defeat in the Europa League 2017 final, André Onana. The Cameroonian was under the bar as a relatively young goaltender at the moment, but was weighed down by the strain. And, he acknowledged, he wasn’t the only Ajax player.
André Onana reflected on the futile final battle in Stockholm in a DAZN interview. Ajax was duped by Manchester United in Sweden. “We suffered a defeat before the game started. I’m afraid. In fact, we competed with Manchester United. I called general manager Edwin van der Sar to let him know I wasn’t feeling well when we got to Stockholm.” The former AFC Ajax player remarked, “I told him I didn’t want to participate.
The state of the dressing room
“In response, Edwin reportedly said, ‘I’m too old and didn’t pack gloves, you’re going to play’,” André Onana said. The Ajax players’ youth contributed to an unhealthful tension. “I had just turned nineteen. Seven players were ill the day before the game. We had only started out,” he continues.
André Onana can pinpoint the precise moment he knew he was standing on the highest podium. “I was in the tunnel for players. Suddenly, David de Gea appeared just behind me. I was still playing with him on the PlayStation six months ago, I now competed against him. I had had recently taken over as the club’s first-choice goalie,” the 26-year-old recounted.
André Onana admits the pressure Manchester United players exerted on them
André Onana is aware that one of Ajax’s strikers was unable to deal with the pressure. “I was approached by Amin Younes in the tunnel. At the moment, he was one of our most crucial players. He was astonished at the size of the arms of his direct opponent, Antonio Valencia. ‘Phew, I can’t play against him,’ he said” the Cameroonian goalkeeper revealed.
In the end, Ajax and André Onana both lost. The goalkeeper was on the verge of a rematch two years later. Yet against Tottenham Hotspur, things went awry in the Champions League semifinal. He ultimately left for Internazionale following a drug suspension and several run-ins with the Amsterdam team.
