In an interview after his arrival in the Ivory Coast, Onana told reporters of the difficult tug of loyalty between club and country, especially for African internationals forced to leave their European clubs midseason to compete at the Cup of Nations.
“It's like choosing between my father and my mother, but my country comes first, that's why I'm here,” he said.
“Let people continue to criticise me. I'm used to it. I do what is good for my country,” Onana added.
Onana has a chequered history with Cameroon after breaking through into the team while still a teenager at Ajax Amsterdam.
He turned down a call-up to the 2017 Cup of Nations finals, which Cameroon went on to win, and at the last World Cup in Qatar was sent home after one match after a row with coach Rigobert Song, which has since been patched up.
But he did compete at the last edition of the Cup of Nations two years ago, just months after returning from a lengthy doping ban.