Amadou Onana Opens Up on Family Inspiration, De Bruyne & Hazard & Signing to Lil Wayne’s Agency

From the streets of Dakar to captaining Belgium and playing in the Premier League, Amadou Onana’s story is one of resilience, gratitude and an unshakeable belief that wherever he goes, he has to make it.

In this exclusive Sports Illustrated interview, the Aston Villa midfielder sits down with us at the adidas Originals Recording Studio, engineered by Abbey Road to reflect on the path that took him from Senegal to Belgium and the family that helped shape his mentality. In particular the influence of his mother and sister, whose belief in his dream despite personal battles, continue to inspire him to fight through every challenge he faces.

Onana also opens up about the defining decisions that shaped his rise through the game, from challenging trials in Germany to the risks he took in order to prioritise development and opportunity, all while maintaining a mindset built on proving doubters wrong and surrounding himself with the right people.

As adidas announce a return for the trefoil to its new national away kits, Onana, who epitomises the crossover between football and culture, discusses his passion for music and creativity, signing to Lil Wayne’s Young Money agency.

From the honor of representing and captaining Belgium at such a young age to the highs and lows that shape every career, the midfielder reflects on adapting to the intensity of the Premier League and how Unai Emery is helping take his game to the next level at Aston Villa.

Finally, Onana speaks on the impact footballers can have on people’s lives and why, above all, he hopes to be remembered as someone who tried to create positive change in the world.

© 2025 Sports Illustrated

Credit to:
My Sister My Agent
Toffee TV
Villa TV
Melissa Onana socials
Amadou Onana socials
Aston Villa socials
Sky Sports YouTube (Transfer Day)
Everton YouTube

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Video Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:59 Growing up in Dakar
2:28 Moving to Belgium
3:54 Family inspiration
6:23 Opportunities in Germany
7:03 Love for music
8:52 Signing for Everton
12:10 Representing Belgium & World Cup
15:18 Aston Villa & Unai Emery
17:37 Three points in the pocket
18:32 Outro

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Amadou Onana Opens Up on Family Inspiration, De Bruyne & Hazard & Signing to Lil Wayne’s Agency | SI FC
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