Man United goalkeeper Onana was recognized by FIFPRO for his work with charity in Cameroon

Andre Onana, the goalkeeper for Manchester United, got the FIFPRO Impact Award for his humanitarian work. His foundation helps poor communities in Cameroon and other Sub-Saharan African countries get medical care.

Over the past three years, doctors have worked with the 28-year-old’s Andre Onana Foundation to do more than 1,200 surgeries and provide care for people, especially children.

The award is part of FIFPRO’s Annual Merit Awards, which honor players who do good things in their areas. The global soccer players’ union is going to give Onana’s charity $10,000.

“I had helpers with me when I went through Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Milan on my way to Manchester United.” When I was down, they helped me get back up,” Onana from Cameroon said on FIFPRO’s website. “I will always remember the help I got.”

“Because of the people in the past who supported me, I feel I have a responsibility to give back and help others.”

Onana said that the foundation’s original goal was to help blind children in Cameroon. However, it has since grown into an NGO that brings doctors and surgeons, mostly from Spain, to Africa to do surgeries.

Marcus Rashford, Onana’s United teammate, got the award in 2020 for his work to keep poor children in the UK getting free school meals while schools were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Linda Sallstrom, a player for Finland, got the FIFPRO Player Activism Award for speaking out about human rights issues like racism, equality, and democracy. In March, she went up to fans in Gothenburg, Sweden, and said they were calling her and her friends sexist names.

The Player Voice award went to Ga-Ae Kang, a former goalie for South Korea. She led efforts by Korean footballers and the country’s player union KPFA to improve working conditions for female players and bring more attention to the Women’s K League.