Daniel Opare

Daniel Opare
Personal information
Full nameDaniel Tawiah Opare[1]
Date of birth18 October 1990
Place of birthAccra, Greater Accra, Ghana[2]
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing positionRight back
Club information
Current team
Beşiktaş
Number44
Youth career
2001Volta Academy
2001–2004Ajax Football Academy
2004–2007Ashanti Gold
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2006–2007Ashanti Gold14(4)
2007–2008Sfax21(6)
2008–2010Real Madrid Castilla6(0)
2010–2014Standard Liège88(0)
2014–Porto0(0)
2014Porto B2(0)
2015–→ Beşiktaş (loan)2(1)
National team‡
2007Ghana U177(0)
2009Ghana U20[3]2(0)
2007–Ghana16(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 May 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 5 March 2014

Daniel Tawiah Opare (/ɒˈpæˈreɪ/ o-PA-RAY) (born 18 October 1990 in Accra) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a right back for Turkish club Beşiktaş on loan from Porto and the Ghana national team.

Club career

Recognized by World Soccer Magazine as one of the 50 Most Exciting Teenagers on the Planet in their November 2007 Issue, young marauding Right Wingback, Opare received rave reviews for using his incredible footspeed and precision crossing to great effect for the Ghana national U-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] and it was negotiated by his agents NVA Entertainment Group.[7]

On 20 May 2014 just before the World Cup 2014, it was announced that Opare had signed for former Champions League winners F.C. Porto after a successful four years stint at Standard Liege.

International career

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 the U-17 World Cup where he was a standout in all seven games he played.[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 national under-20 team in the finals at the Cairo International Stadium on 16 October 2009.[11]

Ghana senior international team

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 that the youngster has 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 with injured teammates Matthew Amoah and captain Stephen Appiah.[17]

2012 African Cup of Nations

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

Opare was never given an opportunity by the then coach of Ghana, Goran Stevanović, to feature in any of the 6 games that the Ghana national team played at the 2012 African Cup of Nations.[19]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played on 18 May 2014.[20]
Club Season Ghana
Premier League		 Ghanaian
FA Cup		 CAF
Champions League		 Ghana
Super Cup		 CAF
Confederation Cup		 Other1 Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Ashanti Gold 2006–2007 134000000000013400
Total 134000000000013400
Club Season Tunisia
CLP-1		 Tunisian
President Cup		 CAF
Champions League		 CAF
Confederation Cup		 Other1 Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sfax 2007–2008 2160000—0021600
Total 21 6 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 21 6 0 0
Club Season Spain
Segunda División		 Spain
Copa del Rey		 UEFA
Champions League		 UEFA
Europa League		 Other1 Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
RM Castilla 2008–2009 50000000005000
2009–2010 10000000001000
Total 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0
Club Season Belgian
Pro League		 Belgian
Cup		 UEFA
Champions League		 Belgian
Super Cup		 UEFA
Europa League		 Other1 Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Liège 2010–2011 330610000000039191
2011–2012 160202010600027060
2012–2013 130100000000013020
2013–2014 280100000800037071
Total 8801012010140001161242
Club Season Portuguesa
Primeira Liga		 Taça
de Portugal		 UEFA
Champions League		 Portuguese
Super Cup		 UEFA
Europa League		 Other1 Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
FC Porto 2014–2015 0000000000000000
Total 0000000000000000
Beşiktaş (loan) 2014–2015 0020000000010030
Total 0020000000010030
1Includes other competitive competitions, including the CAF Super Cup: 2008, and the Taça da Liga.

International

As of match played on 5 March 2014.[21]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Ghana 201170
201230
201350
201410
Total160

Titles and honours

Club

CS Sfaxien
Standard Liège

International

Opare was widely regarded as the best defender at the 2007 FIFA U17 World Cup.[22]

Ghana 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. ↑ "Young Ghanaians rule the world through NVA". modernghana.com. 10 September 2010.
  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. 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. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
  15. ↑ "Injuries rock Ghana camp in Abu Dhabi". modernghana.com, archived from original at GhanaSoccernet.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 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. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Daniel Opare – 2012 Africa Cup of Nations profile". mtnfootball.com. MTN Group. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  20. ↑ "Daniel Opare – Statistics". Soccerway. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  21. ↑ "Daniel Opare". National Football Teams. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  22. ↑ "REDS LINKED WITH OPARE MOVE". Sky Sports. 7 January 2008.