Daniel Opare

Daniel Tawiah Opare (/ɒˈpæˈreɪ/; born 18 October 1990) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for S.V. Zulte Waregem and the Ghana national team.

Daniel Opare
Opare with Standard Liège in May 2014
Personal information
Full name Daniel Tawiah Opare[1]
Date of birth (1990-10-18) 18 October 1990
Place of birth Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana[2]
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Right back
Club information
Current team
 Zulte Waregem
Number 4
Youth career
2001 Volta Academy
2001–2004 Ajax Football Academy
2004–2007 Ashanti Gold
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2007 Ashanti Gold 14 (4)
2007–2008 Sfax 21 (6)
2008–2010 Real Madrid Castilla 6 (0)
2010–2014 Standard Liège 88 (0)
2014–2015 Porto 0 (0)
2014 Porto B 2 (0)
2015 → Beşiktaş (loan) 6 (1)
2015–2018 FC Augsburg 21 (0)
2017 → Lens (loan) 7 (0)
2018–2019 Antwerp 23 (0)
2020– Zulte Waregem 18 (0)
National team‡
2007 Ghana U17 7 (0)
2009 Ghana U20[3] 2 (0)
2007– Ghana 20 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 January 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 6 June 2019 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

In November 2007, Opare was recognized by World Soccer as one of the "50 Most Exciting Teenagers on the Planet". He received rave reviews for using his incredible footspeed and precision crossing to great effect for the Ghana national under-17 team, the Black Starlets,[4] at the 2007 U-17 World Cup.[5]

On 3 July 2010, Opare left Real Madrid Castilla to sign for Belgian club Standard Liège.[6]

On 20 May 2014, just before the 2014 FIFA World Cup, it was announced Opare had signed for Portuguese club Porto after a successful four-year stint with Standard Liège.

Augsburg

On 13 August 2015, Opare signed a three-year contract with German club FC Augsburg for an undisclosed transfer fee.[7]

Royal Antwerp

In July 2018 Opare signed a contract with Belgian Club Royal Antwerp as a free agent after his contract with his previous team had run out.

International career

Youth
2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup

A converted midfielder and skillful lateral defender, Opare initiated the Black Starlets attacking moves with surging runs and was responsible for supplying the forwards Ransford Osei and Sadick Adams with precise crosses from wide areas.[8] At the back, he looks equally comfortable and composed. He assisted[9] on many of Ghana's goals at the 2007 African Under-17 Championship in Togo in March 2007, as well as in the U-17 World Cup, where he was a standout in all seven matches he played in.[10]

2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup

In September 2009, Opare was included in the Ghana national under-20 team (the Black Satellites) for the 2009 U-20 World Cup in Egypt, in which Opare had helped the Ghana team win for the first time by defeating Brazil in the finals at the Cairo International Stadium on 16 October 2009.[11]

Senior

On 13 November 2007, three weeks after his 17th birthday, he received his first senior International call-up from Ghana's coach, Claude Le Roy for a FIFA international friendly match against Togo at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, Ghana, on 18 November 2007,[12] after another excellent display, assisting twice on a superb hat-trick by Ransford Osei against Togo's U-17 team[13] in a junior international friendly at the same venue on Sunday, 11 November 2007.

2008 African Cup of Nations

The U-17 World Cup star was part of Ghana's squad for the 2008 African Cup of Nations.[14] However, on 10 January 2008, Ghana's team doctor, Martin Engmann, told the media Opare had not recovered from an ankle injury[15] he sustained in the Pre-Tournament Training Camp at the Jebel Ali Hotel Resort and Spa in Dubai,[16] and was excluded from the squad together alongside injured teammates Matthew Amoah and captain Stephen Appiah.[17]

2012 African Cup of Nations

In December 2011, Opare was named to the Ghana's provisional 25-man squad for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.[18] In January 2012, he was selected for the tournament's 23-man squad.[19]

Opare was never given an opportunity by the then head coach of Ghana, Goran Stevanović, to feature in any of the six matches the Ghana national team played at the 2012 African Cup of Nations.[19]

2014 FIFA World Cup

On 2 June 2014, Opare was named in Ghana's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[20] In the team's opening match, he started at right-back against the United States in a 2–1 defeat,[21] however he did not appear in their other two matches as Ghana failed to advance past the group stage.

Career statistics

Club
As of match played on 18 May 2014.
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Ashanti Gold 2006–07[22] Ghana Premier League 134134
CS Sfaxien 2007–08 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 216216
Real Madrid Castilla 2008–09[23] Segunda División B 5000000050
2009–10[23] Segunda División B 1000000010
Total 6000000060
Standard Liège 2010–11[24][25] Belgian First Division A 24061009[lower-alpha 1]0391
2011–12[24][25] Belgian First Division A 10020807[lower-alpha 2]0270
2012–13[24][25] Belgian First Division A 4010009[lower-alpha 1]0140
2013–14[24][25] Belgian First Division A 22010808[lower-alpha 1]0390
Total 6001011603301191
Porto B 2014–15[25] LigaPro 20––0020
Beşiktaş (loan) 2014–15[25] Süper Lig 60203000110
Career total 1081012119033017211
  1. Appearances in Belgian First Division A playoffs
  2. One appearances in Belgian Super Cup

International
As of match played on 29 April 2020.[22]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Ghana 201170
201230
201350
201410
201500
201600
201710
201810
Total180

Honours

Club

CS Sfaxien

Standard Liège

International

Opare was widely regarded as the best defender at the 2007 FIFA U17 World Cup.[26]

Ghana U-20

References
  1. "FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009 – List of Players" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). p. 9. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  2. Daniel Tawiah Opare – Playerhistory Profile
  3. "Opare, Daniel". nationalfootballteams.com. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  4. Goal.com (17 September 2007). "African Under-17 Hottest Starlets". Goal.com. Retrieved 17 September 2007.
  5. "Informe: Mundial sub17 2007" (in Spanish). Perlas del futbol. 17 September 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2007.
  6. "Opare va signer au Standard". L'Equipe. 3 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  7. "Augsburg sign defender Daniel Opare from Porto". ESPN FC. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  8. Daniel Opare – FIFA competition record
  9. "Stars Dazzle – Roar Against T&T". ModernGhana. 27 August 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
  10. "Ghana sub17, todo para ganar" (in Spanish). ElMundo. 17 September 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2007.
  11. "FIFA Player Statistics: Daniel OPARE". fifa.com. FIFA.
  12. Ghana FA (13 November 2007). "Starlets duo get senior's call". Ghanafa.org. Archived from the original on 19 January 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2007.
  13. "Starlets re-open stadium with 4–1 win". GhanaFA. 12 November 2007. Retrieved 12 November 2007.
  14. "Le Roy names Black Stars roster". Ghana FA. 10 January 2008. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
  15. "Injuries rock Ghana camp in Abu Dhabi". modernghana.com. 10 January 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
  16. "Ghana doctor allays injury fears". GhanaSoccernet. 10 January 2008. Archived from the original on 10 February 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
  17. Ibrahim, Sannie (11 January 2008). "Owusu-Abeyie in Ghana squad". BBC News. BBC Sports. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
  18. Mensah, Kent (15 December 2011). "Ghana announce 25-man squad for 2012 Africa Cup of Nations". Goal.com. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  19. "Daniel Opare – 2012 Africa Cup of Nations profile". mtnfootball.com. MTN Group. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  20. "Ghana World Cup 2014 squad". The Telegraph. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  21. "Ghana 1-2 USA". BBC. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  22. "Daniel Opare". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  23. Daniel Opare at BDFutbol
  24. "Dan Opare » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  25. Daniel Opare at Soccerway
  26. "REDS LINKED WITH OPARE MOVE". Sky Sports. 7 January 2008.
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