Gaël Ondoua

Gaël Nesterovich Bella Ondoua (born 4 November 1995), more known as Gaël Ondoua, is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Swiss Super League club Servette and the Cameroon national team.^[3][4]

Gaël Ondoua

Ondoua with Anzhi Makhachkala in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Gaël Nesterovich Bella Ondoua[1]
Date of birth	(1995-11-04) 4 November 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth	Yaoundé, Cameroon[2]
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	Servette
Number	5
Youth career
0000–2014	Lokomotiv Moscow
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2015	CSKA Moscow	0	(0)
2016–2017	Vejle BK	23	(2)
2017–2018	Zorya Luhansk	0	(0)
2018–2019	Anzhi Makhachkala	25	(0)
2019–2021	Servette	54	(3)
2021–2023	Hannover 96	29	(0)
2023–	Servette	31	(1)
International career‡
2022–	Cameroon	6	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 00:45, 7 December 2022 (UTC)

Gael Ondoua with Servette against Young Boys in May 2024

Career

Club

In April 2014, Ondoua moved from Lokomotiv Moscow to CSKA Moscow.^[5] He made his professional debut on 24 September 2014 for CSKA Moscow in a Russian Cup game against Khimik Dzerzhinsk.^[6] In January 2015, Ondoua went on trial with Sakhalin Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk of the Russian Football National League.^[7]

At the end of December 2017, it was reported that Ondoua had signed with Zorya Luhansk.^[8] On 12 March, however, he posted on his Instagram account that due circumstances beyond his contract he would not be a Zorya Luhansk player.^[9]

On 27 July 2018, Ondoua signed with the Russian Premier League club Anzhi Makhachkala.^[10]

On 2 July 2019, he signed with Swiss club Servette on a two-year contract plus an option year.^[11]

On 26 August 2021, Ondoua joined German club Hannover 96, signing a two-year contract.^[12]

On 21 July 2023, Ondoua returned to Servette.^[13] On 8 August, with Servette due to take on Scottish club Rangers in the UEFA Champions League qualifying round, he was denied a visa to enter the United Kingdom.^[14]

International career

Ondoua debuted with the Cameroon national team in a 1–0 2022 World Cup qualification loss to Algeria on 25 March 2022.^[15] He was part of Cameroon's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar where he made headlines after wearing the Russian flag on his boots amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^{[16][17][citation needed]}

Personal life

Ondoua grew up in Russia, where his father was a diplomat. He is fluent in Russian and holds Russian citizenship.^[4][18]

Career statistics

As of match played 24 August 2023^[19]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
CSKA Moscow	2014–15	Russian Premier League	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Vejle BK	2016–17	Danish 1st Division	23	2	2	0	—		—		25	2
Zorya Luhansk	2017–18	Ukrainian Premier League	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
Anzhi Makhachkala	2018–19	Russian Premier League	25	0	2	0	—		—		27	0
Servette	2019–20	Swiss Super League	30	2	1	0	—		—		31	2
	2020–21		24	1	2	1	2	0	—		28	2
	Total		54	3	3	1	2	0	—		59	4
Hannover	2021–22	2. Bundesliga	27	0	3	0	—		—		30	0
	2022–23		2	0	0	0	—		—		2	0
	Total		29	0	3	0	—		—		32	0
Servette	2023–24	Swiss Super League	2	0	0	0	3	0	—		5	0
Career total			133	5	11	1	5	0	0	0	149	5

1. Includes Russian Cup, Danish Cup, Swiss Cup, DFB-Pokal

Honours

Servette FC

• Swiss Cup: 2023–24^[20]

References

1. "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Cameroon (CMR)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 5. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
2. Football: un match dans le match pour Gaël Ondoua contre Sion, radiolac.ch, 25 July 2019
3. Gaël Ondoua at Soccerway
4. Полина Куимова. "«Прыгаю по дому как ребёнок!» Единственный россиянин, который сыграет на чемпионате мира".
5. "18-летний полузащитник Ондуа Гаэль перешел из "Локомотива" в ЦСКА". sports.ru (in Russian). Sports RU. 20 April 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
6. "Khimik-CSKA Match Report". Russian Premier League. 24 September 2014.
7. "На просмотре у "Сахалина" бывший и действующий игроки ПФК ЦСКА" (in Russian). FC Sakhalin Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
8. "ОФИЦИАЛЬНО: Гаэль Ондуа — игрок Зари". sport.ua (in Russian). Sport UA. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
9. "Ондуа не станет игроком Зари". sport.ua (in Russian). Sport UA. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
10. "В "Анжи" перешел Гаэль Ондуа" (in Russian). FC Anzhi Makhachkala. 27 July 2018. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
11. "GAËL ONDOUA SIGNE AU SERVETTE FC" [Gaël Ondoua signs with Servette FC] (in French). Servette FC. 2 July 2019.
12. "Hannover 96 verstärkt sich mit Ondoua". kicker.de (in German). kicker. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
13. "GAËL ONDOUA FAIT SON GRAND RETOUR AU SERVETTE FC" [GAEL ONDOUA IS MAKING A COMEBACK AT SERVETTE FC] (in French). Servette FC. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
14. "Servette hit by more problems ahead of Rangers tie as decimated Swiss club lashes out at 'deprivation of travel' | The Scotsman".
15. "How things stand in FIFA World Cup qualifying". FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
16. "Ондуа: «Я всегда играю в бутсах с российским флагом. Почему я должен отказаться от своего дома?»". sport-express.ru (in Russian). 24 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
17. "Cameroonian Footballer Gael Ondoua Wears Boots With Russian Flag at World Cup 2022". www.telecomasia.net. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
18. "Exclusive | Gaël Ondoua: "I'm hungry for success whatever the field & I work hard, no matter how difficult it is. I want to learn, grow & move forward. I'm my own source of motivation."". Get German Football News. 23 February 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
19. "G. Ondoua". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
20. "Servett FC 9:8 FC Lugano". Schweizer Cups Football (in German). 2 June 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.

External links

• Gaël Ondoua at Russian Premier League