Cameroon international Andre Onana left Manchester United fans based in Uganda astonished but he was not first the United player to play in Uganda.
Onana was the man between the posts when the Indomitable Lions shared spoils in a goalless draw against Zimbabwe in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Tuesday.
Besides the goalkeeper, two former Red Devils have played at the Mandela National Stadium, Namboole before.
Quinton Fortune and Mateus Alberto Contreiras Goncalves alias Manucho are the other two who played at Namboole before their retirement.
Fortune was the first Red Devil to come through in 2004 as his country South Africa visited the Uganda Cranes in the first leg of the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The Bafana Bafana defeated the Cranes 1-0 courtesy of Bennie McCarthy’s penalty kick. Coincidentally, the latter recently served as a first-team coach under current manager Erik Ten Hag.
Six years later, Manucho played at Namboole for Angola against Uganda in 2010 but by then he had already left United and was playing in Turkey for Bucaspor on loan from Spanish side Valladolid.
The Cranes comfortably beat the Sable Antelopes 3-0 in Group J of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Rio Ferdinand is the other United player to come to Uganda. However, the retired England player didn’t play at Namboole and was here on invitation by Proline Soccer Academy in 2007.
