André Onana's belated arrival at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations was one of the main talking points of the tournament. The Cameroon goalkeeper's decision to play Manchester United's game against Tottenham Hotspur combined with travel delays saw him arrive just a few hours prior to their tournament opener against Guinea.
He was dropped for that game and his first appearance in the tournament saw him struggle in a 3-1 loss to Senegal. He was promptly dropped for the next game and didn't feature again for Cameroon as they crashed out in the round of 16.
Unfortunately for Onana, there will be no chance at a redemption arc. The 29-year-old has been left out of Cameroon's squad for this year's AFCON, capping off a dismal year that has seen him pushed out on loan to Trabzonspor from Manchester United.
ESPN takes a look at how we got here.
Samuel Eto'o behind his ousting?
Onana's dropping is part of the sweeping changes that have been implemented by newly-appointed Cameroon Football Federation president Samuel Eto'o.
Within two days of his re-election to the post, the former Barcelona and Inter Milan forward sacked manager Marc Brys following Cameroon's failure to qualify for the World Cup.
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Eto'o and Onana have previously shared a rocky relationship. The former United goalkeeper left the Cameroon camp during the 2022 World Cup due to reported differences with manager Rigobert Song and Eto'o over playing style.
How has Onana's recent form been?
Onana's exclusion is especially surprising as he has played in all but two of Cameroon's games this year, including their recent World Cup qualifiers against Congo and Angola.
The 29-year-old's poor performances with Manchester United since joining in 2024 saw him shipped out to Trabzonspor this summer. He has made 10 starts in Turkey this season, where he has kept three clean sheets.
Who has been selected in his place?
Devis Epassy (Dinamo Bucuresti), Simon Omossola (FC Saint Eloi Lupopo), Simon Ngapandouentnbu (Montpellier) and Edouard Sombang (Colombe Sportive du Dja et Lobo) are the four goalkeepers that have been called up by Cameroon.
Epassy replaced Onana in the XI at the 2022 World Cup, and also featured against Equatorial Guinea in a friendly in June. Omossola started in the friendly against Uganda in June.