Former Ghana international Daniel Opare has opened up about how a cruel injury at Real Madrid ultimately stalled what could have been a breakthrough moment in his career.
Opare joined the Spanish giants in 2008 from AshantiGold SC after catching attention with standout performances for Ghana at the 2007 U-17 World Cup. His early promise quickly earned him a place around Real Madrid’s first team, where he trained during a period when the club was dealing with injuries and suspensions at right-back.
According to the former Black Stars defender, an opportunity to make his senior debut appeared within reach as he was part of the squad preparing for a match.
“There were a lot of red cards and then injuries in the Madrid team. So I started training with the first team a long time ago,” he told Joy Sports.
However, just two days before what could have been his debut, misfortune struck during training.
“When that opportunity came, I thought, ‘okay, this is it’ because looking at that week, I was training with the team that was going to play the match. So I got the ball from the right-back, I took the ball at pace, I pushed it, and then it was like a pull and fall. I wanted to cross it.
“I was about to cross the line, and with the speed at which I crossed the ball and was landing, I twisted my ankle, but I didn’t have pain in my ankle. I rather broke my metatarsal. I suffered a fracture. There was nothing I could do, and the only option was to undergo surgery,” he added.
Despite spending two years at Real Madrid, Opare never made a competitive appearance for the senior team before eventually moving on, with the injury widely seen as a turning point in his time at the club.
