Exclusive: Former Fulham defender speaks on World Cup 2026 ambitions | OneFootball

Former Fulham Defender Eyeing World Cup Glory with Ghana

Ghana will be returning to the FIFA World Cup for the fifth time in their history, with the Black Stars set to take on Panama in Toronto before traveling to Foxborough for a match against England, followed by a match-up against Croatia in Philadelphia. One player who will be looking to make his mark for Ghana is Jerome Opoku.

Opoku’s Journey

Born in the South London borough of Lambeth, Opoku was raised in England by Ghanaian immigrants and immediately latched onto the beautiful game of football after honing his skills with the Mitcham Little League before making the move to Fulham in 2009 at the age of 10. Opoku would spend his first month traveling 40 minutes from Mitcham to the Fulham school in Brixton before deciding to make the move to Craven Cottage on a permanent basis, where he would remain until 2019.

Opoku grew up idolizing Gareth Bale and dreamed of becoming a top-class winger before being shifted to the left back position by U-15 manager Mark Pembridge, but a sudden growth spurt would see him move to the center back spot, where he has stayed ever since. After captaining Fulham’s U-16s to victory in the 2014 Premier League International Cup Final against Chelsea, Opoku decided to abandon his academic career and focus solely on his footballing editions. Just a few weeks later, the 17-year-old ruptured his ACL.

“In terms of my long-term career, once I stopped studying at 17/18 years of age and just focused on full-time football, that’s when I said, ‘I’m all in now, I’m not gonna go down, stated Opoku in an exclusive EPL Index interview. “I’ve definitely developed and matured a lot; with age and years come experience, so my personality and my game just all round, have matured a lot.”

“I think that the experience factor is a real thing. When people say, ‘Play, you’ll be more experienced, I think it’s actually a real thing.’ Certain positions and passes become second nature now and being more finishing in my area of aerial duels, trying to get more goals in that aspect, which I am working on and that needs to definitely be improved. I think I can do better there.”

Photo: IMAGO

It wasn’t easy, but Opoku worked his way back from injury and captained Fulham’s U23s in the 2018/19 season before deciding to kickstart his senior career at Accrington Stanley, moving away from London for the first time in his life and polishing his skills in the English lower leagues with Stanley followed by another loan move to League One in Plymouth Argyle. Opoku then decided to depart England and made the move to Danish SuperLiga side Velje Boldklub for the 2021/22 season, making 29 appearances.

Leaving Fulham

Opoku then decided to cut the cord with Fulham and join Portuguese side Arouca. At the time, Arouca were coming off their first-ever season in the Portuguese top-flight, which saw them finish 15th and avoid relegation by two points. Little did they know it, but their luck was about to improve even more. With Opoku building a stalwart pairing with João Basso in central defense, Arouca were able to punch above their weight and deliver the greatest season in their club’s 74-year history.

Similarly to other ball-playing center backs like Willian Pacho, Brian Dunseth, and Alessandro Bastoni, Opoku was able to strike the ball with the right amount of pace and power and jumpstart counter-attacks with his incisive through balls, whilst he also kept things composed at the back. Whether reading an opposing attack to perfection and stepping out to intercept a pass, or using his bulky frame and aerial prowess to come away with the ball in the air, Opoku proved to be one of the best defenders in the Liga Portugal season and helped Arouca finish fifth and qualify for Europe for the first time ever.

“When I came to Portugal, I remember seeing some Liga Portugal predictions on Twitter, and it was saying that we’re definitely going down. It was amazing to have a great group of lads, a great group of coaching staff, and to just prove everyone wrong. My biggest memory there was beating Sporting in our home. I think that was historical, I don’t think they’ve ever done that before, so that was amazing.”

After starting the season in the XI and playing in their league matches as well as their UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers, Opoku signed a one-year contract extension until 2026 with Arouca before being sent on loan to Süper Lig side İstanbul Başakşehir, later made permanent for a €1.5 million. Opoku enjoyed a seamless transition to Turkish football and made 32 appearances to lead his team to a fourth-place finish and the Turkish Cup quarterfinal.

The following season, meanwhile, would see him score 3 goals and 4 assists in 33 appearances in league play, in addition to also playing in the Turkish Cup and Conference League. All things considered, Opoku has emerged as an indispensable figure in the backline, making 96 appearances for the Grey Owls and proving to be a fan favorite in a league whose fans’ passion and exuberance is simply unmatched in European football.

“The passion of the fans is a different level. I didn’t experience it until I came, but once I came here, I was just kind of taken aback facing off against the top 4/5 teams…even some of the middle teams are a different level. Playing Galatasaray away, I couldn’t hear my center back partner. Compared to playing in Portugal, obviously, there’s one or two teams that can come closer like Benfica, in terms of the noise level, but in terms of the passion, I think Türkiye it takes it to a whole other dimension. Even in League One, Denmark, you can’t compare to Türkiye.”

Opoku hasn’t just become one of the most pivotal members of İstanbul Başakşehir’s backline, earning praise from leading pundits like James Richardson, Kevin Egan, and Erman Toroğlu and helping to consolidate the team’s presence in the league’s upper tier, but he’s also made his mark at the international level. One month after making the move to Istanbul, Opoku was called up for the Ghana national team for the first time ever and debuted in a 4-0 defeat vs. the United States in Nashville, before missing out on the next two windows and returning in March 2024, where he played in friendlies vs. Nigeria and Uganda, scoring vs. the latter.

World Cup Ambitions

He would have to wait another year before returning to the national team, making his competitive debut vs. Chad before starting in a 3-0 win vs. Madagascar in World Cup qualifying. Opoku missed the June friendlies before returning in September, where he played the entirety of their stalemate to Chad followed by a brief cameo against Mali, followed by another substitute appearance vs. Central African Republic. He returned in November, starting in a friendly vs. Japan before riding the bench vs. South Korea, and he looks set to play a pivotal role in the Black Stars’ World Cup ambitions alongside the likes of Antoine Semenyo, Mohammed Salisu, and Mohammed Kudus.

“Kudus is a serious baller…he’s definitely the best player I’ve trained with and played with in my career. He’s going places 100%, and as for the Premier League and Spurs, I think everyone’s already seen it, so there’s not too much I need to say. He’s gonna light up with Spurs.”

Can Kudus, Opoku and co. lead Ghana back to the World Cup knockout round for the first time in 16 years? Stay tuned for what promises to be a thrilling tournament in North America.