Sky Sports are reporting that Liverpool are leading the race for Real Madrid’s young right back Daniel Opare with a possible loan move for the player in the summer. So who is this youngster exactly? Born in Accra, Ghana, Opare started life out at Ajax’s satellite academy in his native country before moving onto playing for Ghanaian giants Ashanti Gold in 2004 at the age of just 13.
Opare only fully came to prominence though when playing for Ghana’s Under 17 team. At the 2007 Under 17s World Cup, held in Korea, he helped the team get to the semi-finals before being beaten by Spain. A converted midfielder, Opare started the tournament at right back and he helped initiate many of the team’s attacking moves with both his pinpoint crossing and pacey runs on the wing. He became one of the main suppliers for forwards Sadick Adams and Ransford Osei during the tournament.
Both his performances during his seven matches at the U-17 World Cup and his displays earlier on in the year at the U17 African championship made Opare hot property and he was chased by Liverpool and Arsenal along with many other clubs, but Real Madrid got their man in February 2008 after paying €1.5million for the young starlet. A player who was named in World Soccer Magazine’s “50 Most Exciting Teenagers on the Planet” in November 2007, a lot was expected of him. Before he signed for Real he actually got his first international call up to the senior squad by coach Claude le Roy for a friendly against Togo and he was also picked as part of the 2008 African Cup of Nations squad but he was ruled out of the competition due to picking up an ankle injury in a pre-tournament training camp.
So why all the excitement about him? He has been compared to Cafu due to his style of play. He is versatile, as he can also play centre back and left wing, but his primary strength is his pace and strength. He plays more like a wing back than a conventional full back and loves making surging runs forward. He is very attack minded but his strength means he rarely gets pushed off the ball and his pace and ball control mean he can avoid opposition tackles. His dribbling skills and crossing abilities make him a frightening prospect although he does have downsides to his game. At 19, Opare still needs to gain experience defensively and will need to become more intelligent positionally so he doesn’t get caught out at the back. He also will need to improve his vision and decision making on the ball so he chooses to pass at the right moments rather than dribbling the ball into a dead end.
Opare proved his worth once again after helping Ghana win the U-20 World Cup in Egypt last year but since he has struggled with injuries. The 19 year old has been restricted to playing for Real Madrid’s Castilla team, although he has been called upon by both coaches Juande Ramos and Manuel Pellegrini to train with the first team demonstrating the club’s faith in the player. To improve fitness and to gain experience though, Opare will most likely go out on loan next season and could prove to be an excellent find for any club willing to take him on.
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I remember there was a lot of fuss about this guy when we tried for him a few years ago, before he joined Real Madrid. Don’t know that I’d be too keen now, unless he can also play left-back. We’re okay at right-back with Johnson and Kelly (and Darby and Carra.)
seen him play and he is a class act.
his style suits the prem down to a T