Aston Villa star Amadou Onana reveals plans for career change after learning new hobby in downtime
AMADOU ONANA has been a massive hit with Aston Villa fans since his £50million summer move from Everton.
And the midfield giant, who has scored three goals in seven games for Unai Emery’s side, dreams of making a hit record one day.
The 6ft 5in Belgian international has learned to play the piano — and writes his own songs, too.
In August, under the guise of 24AM, Onana released his first song — R&B track Check On Me — on the likes of Spotify.
In Belgium he has been called ‘the Devil with the voice of an angel’ — referring to the national team’s Red Devils nickname.
And he has a fashion sense to put old Everton pal and model Dominic Calvert-Lewin to shame.
Ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Ipswich, Onana said: “I like to try and take myself away from football a bit.
“You have to have different hobbies to help you relax and music is one of mine.
“I listen to everything. I don’t have a specific genre. I’ll listen to rap songs, R&B, soul … different genres.
“I’m not performing publicly yet but writing songs on my own helps me to relax.
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“I also play the piano, I took lessons. I wanted to try something different.
“In August I released my first song, Check On Me, which did well on streaming platforms.
“For now I’m focusing on Aston Villa but when I have some downtime I like to write lyrics.”
Onana’s other great love is fashion — the 23-year-old turned up for international duty with Belgium in a black, pleated skirt, yellow shoes and matching handbag.
He has also worn a T-shirt with the slogan: ANDRE IS NOT EVEN MY NAME MATE!
That was a reference to a car-crash interview after Belgium were beaten by Slovakia at Euro 2024 when a reporter referred to him as ‘Andre’ — the name of Manchester United’s goalkeeper.
Onana said: “I like to dress well — my mum would never let us leave the house looking untidy.
“I like to cut a dash. It doesn’t have to be designer wear.
“If it looks good, I’ll wear it. I don’t spend outrageous amounts on clothes.”
One particular garment left a lasting impression on his team-mates — a distinctive jacket with white and yellow daisies plastered all over it.
From a distance it resembled scrambled eggs.
Onana confessed: “A lot of people said that. I don’t mind the stick.
“Whatever I think is good-looking, I’ll wear, no matter what people think.”
In April, Aston Villa and Kaizen Gaming, the leading global GameTech operator, announced a new long-term partnership for Betano, Kaizen Gaming’s premium brand, to become the club’s new principal and front-of-shirt partner.
Betano’s sponsorship aims to complement Aston Villa’s already positive community impact.