“They didn’t think I was good enough” – Everton player thanks God he’s managed to prove people wrong

On Monday, HLN in Belgium published a heartwarming interview with Justine Vanhaevermaet and Amadou Onana, who are both playing at Everton these days.

The two see each other from time to time at the club, admittedly mostly in the gym, where they exchange, as both play for Belgium in their respective Football Associations.

Despite a nine-year gap between the two, the Everton stars saw a lot of themselves in each other, especially when it comes to how they play on the pitch.

Vanhaevermaet praised the 22-year-old midfielder: “His physicality, but I also admire the energy he radiates. Contagious. He stands on a field with an attitude. That’s super cool to see. For the rest, good passing, vision.”

Onana had the same to say about the 31-year-old: “Good passing, that’s for sure. Her physical strength. Her tackling too. A bit like me actually, I can recognise myself in Justine.”

The more the two discussed about their lives and careers, the more they realised how similar they were, especially when it came to the fact they both struggled early on: Justine with injuries and Amadou with people believing in him.

The Everton Women’s star said: “I’ve had a lot of setbacks. From the age of 18, 19 until I was 24, I was injured almost every year. I was still playing football in Belgium at the time. It wasn’t professional then. Then I decided to turn pro and try abroad.

“I could just as well have quit, because I had obtained my diploma. Then I decided I would do everything I could to achieve my goal, and I succeeded. This transfer to Everton is really a nice reward for my perseverance and belief in myself.”

Onana was impressed by this, and revealed a bit more about his early days as a footballer, back when he was in Belgium.

He said: “They didn’t think I was good enough anywhere in Belgium. So I thought if they don’t want me here, I’ll just take my chance in another country. And thank God that I did it. But I think Justine’s story shows how strong she really is, because if I’d only had injuries at 24, I might have quit.”

Both were also eternally grateful to those around them for pushing them to reach their goals, with Onana pointing out he only has ‘strong women’ around him in his life, with his grandmother, mother and sister all named.

He added: “I think it’s just beautiful to see that women are so strong, and when you hear Justine’s history, you think: ‘Wow, you went through a lot. You’ve been through something in life’.”