Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana claims a club elected not to sign him because of his skin colour.
The Cameroonian, who was one of the nominees for the Yacine Trophy at the 2019 Ballon d'Or ceremony, has been touted for a big move away from the Netherlands but a transfer has not come to fruition as of yet.
And Onana believes a lot of it has to do with his colour of skin, even claiming that after the Europa League final in 2017, a team turned him down because they felt him signing wouldn't sit well with supporters.
"Along the way I have noticed: it is not easy for a black keeper to go further," he told Dutch newspaper Het Parool, via beIN Sports.
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"In my first year at Ajax we reached the final of the Europa League.
"After that final, my agent spoke to an interested club, but that club decided not to sign me because a black goalkeeper would be difficult for their supporters.
"So it wasn't because they didn't think I was good enough. I considered it a compliment."
Onana started out at Samuel Eto'os Foundation before joining Barcelona's famed academy and spending five years there until Ajax came calling.
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He's experienced racism regularly on the pitch but says he will never walk off the pitch as he feels it's the wrong way to respond.
Onana added: "Racism is there, I have to deal with it in almost every away game, but I'm not talking about it.
"I'm proud to be black. If you find me a monkey, fine. I see no difference between white and black and I make no difference. If you do, that's your problem.
"I've been in Europe for 12 years. I live and work with people from all countries of the world, in every imaginable colour.
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"Before each match, it sounds in the stadiums: 'No to racism', but racism is not only in football, it is everywhere.
"Racism was here long before I was born, and it will not suddenly disappear tomorrow. One day it will stop. It only needs time and you cannot force it."
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football News, Football, Andre Onana, Ajax
