AMADOU ONANA is the rock upon which Unai Emery plans to build Aston Villa’s Prem and Champions League challenge.
Standing 6ft 1in tall, man-mountain Onana was signed by Everton for a club record £50m.
That was the same fee Villa paid from Juventus for Douglas Luizwho was flogged to avoid the threat of breach of profits and sustainability rules (PSR) — and Onana is more than three years younger than the Brazilian.
He was sometimes undervalued at Everton – but now Villa manager Emery will look to develop the Belgium star in a more complete midfielder.
No wonder Villa’s transfer guru Monchi wasted no time in replacing Luiz as soon as the new financial year began in July.
Onana, who turns 23 on Friday, will be tasked with anchoring the midfield, as well as being the pivot who will trigger most of Villa’s transitions from defense to attack.
He is the surprise man of the Champions League pack that Villa, who beat Spurs, Manchester United, Newcastle and Chelsea to fourth place, will lean on – on and off the park – as they embark on their big European adventure this season. 150 years old.
Because with ease, Onana speaks five languages - and he can’t wait for Emery to help him master Spanish to get to SIX.
During his first national newspaper interview since his record-breaking move to Villa Park, he said: “I asked Unai Emery and his team to speak to me in Spanish so I could respond in Spanish.
“I already speak five languages, Wolof – since my childhood, growing up in Senegal — French, German, English and Dutch. But I’m learning a sixth.
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“I love Spain and go there at least once a year. It’s a beautiful language and it would be legal to be able to speak more fluently.
“Obviously it will be easier here with so many Spanish-speaking staff, so Unai can help me improve my Spanish as well as my soccer!”
Education is extremely important to Onana and is a value instilled in her from a young age by her hard-working mother.
He may be a £50million footballer now, but Onana grew up in a house full of 14 family members in the Colobane district of Senegal’s capital Dakar while his father worked abroad in Belgium.
His mother gave up a career as a physiotherapist to emigrate to Brussels when Onana was 11 to pursue his dream of a football career.
The gentle giant said: “The man you see in front of you was built by my mother.
“My mother raised three children alone, which wasn’t always easy, but she did the best she could.
“I shared a room with my brother in a house with my entire family, which meant mother, grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunts.
“In terms of football, I didn’t have the opportunities that you have here in England.
“I just played football in the street.
“I moved to Belgium when I was 11 to play football – and because I knew there were better opportunities for my education there too.
“Mom always loved education, schoolwork always came first.
“I had to finish all my homework before I could play football with my friends – that was the deal.
“Mom is the main influence in my life and gave me the dedication I have.
“But I always keep her name out of the spotlight, she really doesn’t like being in the public eye.
“She is an incredible woman, the love of my life.
“She took care of all of us. She had her own business as a physiotherapist, but then gave up his dreams to make ours come true.
“Plus, she is my biggest fan and my biggest critic!
“After each game, I ask her if I did well or badly and she tells me frankly.
“She may not be Unai Emery, but she grew up in a house with five or six brothers, so she knows football!”
However, it was another bright and strong woman who set Onana on the path to a football career: Melissa, her older sister.
Onana never stood out in the Anderlecht academy and was struggling to make a good impression at lowly Zulte Waregem when Melissa sent video clips of her brother to clubs in Netherlands and Germany.
After much hassle, Hoffenheim eventually invited him to trials.
Despite being seriously ill with cancer, Melissa accompanied her younger brother on a five-hour train journey, with several changes, before walking to the training camp, where Onana made such an impression that he was immediately signed up.
Onana was full of praise for his sister, saying: “She has looked after me for almost 12 years and has played an important role in me being at Villa today.
“She has been the driving force. Seeing her having cancer and trying to fight for her life, while trying to take care of her little brother, was unique.
“Her strength became my strength. There is a 13 year age difference between us and she basically gave up part of her life and dedicated it to me.
“She saw that I was doing really well at Hoffenheim and some people told her: ‘Your brother isn’t so bad, you should look after him’, and she followed that advice.
“She didn’t really like football and yet she informed herself, studied and trained as an agent.
“She now has over 20 players that she represents.
“Without it I might not be eating now. Who knows?
Onana stood out at Hoffenheim and moved to Hamburg, then Lille, in Francewhere he played in the Champions League and broke into the Belgian national team.
He joined Everton for £33m in 2022 and made over 70 appearances for the Toffees before they made a £17m profit selling him to Villa.
However, despite being rich beyond his wildest dreams, Onana is studying again, although it is unlikely that he will ever have a job interview in his life.
He explained: “I’m getting my Belgian general school diploma because I had to drop out of school when I went to Germany.
“It was another country, a totally different language and I didn’t speak a word about it!
“My exams had to be postponed, now I’m back. I still have an exam.
“I think I’m smart enough to get my degree, something that has always been important to my family. That’s why I’m doing this now.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
