Nelson Onana

Nelson Onana
Personal information
Full name Nelson Zacharie M. Onana Alima
Born (2000-03-01) 1 March 2000 (age 24)
Sweden
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current club Léopold
Youth career
Pingouin
Senior career
Years Team
0000–2019 Pingouin
2019–2024 Braxgata
2024–present Léopold
National team
Years Team Caps Goals
2019–2021 Belgium U–21 9 (2)
2019–present Belgium 25 (10)
Medal record
Men's field hockey
Representing  Belgium
EuroHockey Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Mönchengladbach

Nelson Zacharie M. Onana Alima (born 1 March 2000)[1] is a field hockey player who plays for Léopold and the Belgium national team.[2][3]

Personal life

Onana was born in Sweden to a Belgian mother and a Cameroonian father. In Sweden he played floorball, and when his family returned to Belgium he started playing field hockey.[4]

Club career

Onana started playing hockey at Pingouin, where he played until 2019 when he moved to Braxgata.[5] After five seasons in Boom, he moved to Brussels to play for Léopold.[6]

International career

Onana has represented Belgium at both junior and senior levels.[7][3]

Under–21

In 2019 Onana made his debut for the Belgium U–21 team during an eight–nations tournament in Madrid, winning a bronze medal.[7]

He was a member of the junior team at the 2021 Men's FIH Junior World Cup in Bhubaneswar.[8]

Red Lions

Before making his junior debut, Onana earned his first senior cap in a 2019 test match against Russia. He went on to appear in the team once more that year.[7]

Onana didn't represent the national team again until 2022, when he appeared in season three of the FIH Pro League. He has since been named permanently in the national squad.[7][2]

He won his first medals with the national team in 2023, taking home bronze at the EuroHockey Championship in Mönchengladbach, as well as season four of the FIH Pro League. Now he is a basis player in the belgian red lios.[9][10]

References

  1. ^ "Team Details – Belgium". tms.fih.ch. International Hockey Federation. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b "RED LIONS". hockey.be (in Dutch). Royal Belgian Hockey Association. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b "ONANA Nelson". eurohockey.altiusrt.com. European Hockey Federation. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  4. ^ Klanke, Peter (18 August 2024). "Gaan we zien in Gladbach: Nelson Onana, de new kid on the block". hockey.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Transfert : Nelson Onana au Braxgata". okey.lalibre.be (in French). 21 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Nelson Onana et José Basterra confirmés au Léopold". hockeybelgium.lesoir.be (in French). 14 May 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d "ONANA Nelson". tms.fih.ch. International Hockey Federation. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  8. ^ "ONANA NELSON". juniorworldcup.hockey. FIH Junior World Cup. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Red Lions roar their way to men's EuroHockey bronze". eurohockey.org. European Hockey Federation. 27 August 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Nelson Onana, attaquant des Red Lions : "Si les jeunes peuvent briller, c'est grâce aux vieux qui les soutiennent"". rtbf.be. RTBF. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.


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