Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana has reminisced about training with former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes, whom he has claimed had a significant influence on his own career.
The Cameroon international goalkeeper has earned rave reviews at the Dutch giants whom he joined from La Masia in 2015 and helped Ajax to multiple success both domestically and in Europe.
Onana began his career at the Samuel Eto’o Foundation before joining the Blaugrana’s youth system in 2010, and he trained with the first-team goalkeepers – including Valdes.
As a La Masia youth team graduate himself, Valdes won six La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues in a 12-year career at the Camp Nou between 2002 and 2014.
“Víctor Valdes was the best goalkeeper with his hands,” Onana revealed, in quotes carried by Diario Sport.
“He had incredible hands; I trained a lot with him and he was incredible, because I learned a lot from him, since he was one of the best in the world at that time.”
Valdes returned to the Camp Nou after ending his playing career when he became coach of the club’s Juvenil team, but Barcelona confirmed via a statement in October 2019 that he had left after just a few months.
Diario AS subsequently cited Catalunya Radio as reporting that the former Blaugrana goalkeeper had a high-profile fallout with Barcelona official Patrick Kluivert.
