André Onana, the Inter Milan goalkeeper during the 2022/23 season, which culminated in the Champions League final against Manchester City, spoke to Le Media Carré, recalling his arrival in Milan, the goalkeeping competition with Handanovic, and the rivalry with Maignan.
Regarding Handanovic – “Maignan was the goalkeeper of our rivals. He had won the Scudetto, he was the champion of Italy, the best goalkeeper in Italy. I arrived at Inter and Simone Inzaghi said: ‘Samir Handanovic will be my goalkeeper.’ Damn, I had just arrived and I was already number 2.”
The Turning Point – “Mike, indirectly, made me the starter. We played the derby, Milan-Inter, and I was on the bench. From the beginning of the season, we hadn’t won enough, it was a bit difficult. Inzaghi wasn’t happy, then we played against Milan. We lost 3-2, and Handanovic didn’t have a brilliant game, while Maignan was great, and my teammates were already starting to push: ‘We have to play André.’ So it was this match that changed everything. From there, I started playing in the Champions League. I played against Bayern, it went well, I played against Barcelona.”