Amadou Onana has shown his sense of humour while digging out the journalist who called him ‘Andre’ during Euro 2024. On Monday, Onana reported for international duty with Belgium, and did so wearing a comical sleeveless t-shirt.
Onana, 23, wore a top with the slogan ‘Andre is not even by name mate!’, the same phrase he used in response to the media mishap in Germany.
Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana, arrived in English football a year later than his namesake, signing for Manchester United last summer.
But on this occasion, there didn’t appear to be any frustration from the Aston Villa midfielder, smiling broadly as he met up with his team-mates. And images of Onana in the t-shirt have duly gone viral on social media.
After Belgium had been beaten 1-0 by Slovakia in June, the clip from his exchange in the summer went down a storm with fans, with Onana saying to he reporter: “Andre is not even my name, mate. Do you know what I mean?”
As well as the funny remark, many were left lauding his seamless switch from French to a clear English accent. Only last week, he repeated the phrase in an interview with the Sky Sports Premier League YouTube channel.
He’s previously said he never expected to become a prominent internet meme, but believes his response was justified. “I just feel like, if I’m not doing my job on the pitch someone will let me know,” he said.
“And a journalist, that’s your job, to kind of know my name, or how to say it or pronounce it or whatever. So yeah, I really had to let him know.”
Onana had extra reason to smile after the weekend, scoring for his new side in the 2-1 win over Leicester on Saturday. It was his second Villa goal since his £50million move, also striking on the opening day against West Ham.
He only scored four times for Everton in 72 matches, mostly deployed in a defensive role. But he’s now just two goals away from already matching that tally under Unai Emery.
The Senegal-born star had spent two years at Everton, and was deemed pivotal in helping the club avoid relegation in both seasons. But amid their financial situation, the Merseyside club had little choice but to accept Villa’s sizeable offer this summer.