Onel Hernández Will Spend Two More Seasons in English Football

April 22, 2023

Cuban footballer Onel Hernández extended his contract with Norwich City FC this Friday until 2025, a team that plays in England's second division and with which he has delivered his best performances as a professional.

The Cuban international, born in the municipality of Morón, Ciego de Ávila, joined the British club in 2018 from German side Eintracht Braunschweig and has since worn the "Canaries" shirt in nearly 150 matches.

In two of those seasons he was vital for Norwich City's promotion to the Premier League, the top level of English football, and has also played on loan for Birmingham City and Middlesbrough in the United Kingdom.

At 30 years old, Onel has been a regular starter in the lineups of coach David Wagner, since the latter took over the team last January.

During the current season, the Cuban forward has made 40 appearances in matches across all competitions his team participates in, during which he has scored a couple of goals and provided five assists.

Upon extending his contract, Onel said he was grateful for the opportunity he has received and for the support of coach Wagner and the club's sporting director, Stuart Webber.

"The last five years have been the best I've had in football. The city, the people, the fans, the club, the teammates I've had, there's nothing in my career that I can say is better," the footballer assured.

Onel has the privilege of being the only player born on the Island who has scored a goal in the FA Cup, the oldest football tournament on the planet. It happened in January 2020, when in the 28th minute of the match he beat the goalkeeper during his team's 4-2 victory over Preston, who were in the second division at that time.

Furthermore, he also has the honor of being the only Cuban who has participated in the top division of English football and scored in that tournament, against none other than the mighty Manchester United, although Norwich City lost on that occasion 1-3.

At the national team level, Onel fulfilled the dream of wearing the Cuban team's shirt from the very moment the island's sports authorities gave the green light to call up players who were independently contracted in different professional leagues around the world.

Since then he has been called on repeatedly to join the squad now managed by Pinar del Río coach Pablo Elier Sánchez, of which he has been captain.

Onel emigrated to Germany at just six years old, along with his mother and sister to live with his stepfather, who was a coach at Tus Westfalia Neuenkirchen.

Thanks to him and the support he gave his stepson, Hernández managed to make his debut in the German second division in 2010 with Arminia Bielefeld. He later played for Werder Bremen's U-23 team and Wolfsburg's reserve team, before signing with Eintracht.