Jerome Opoku
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jerome Osei Opoku[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 14 October 1998[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Lambeth, England | ||
| Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | İstanbul Başakşehir | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2019 | Fulham | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2022 | Fulham | 0 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Accrington Stanley (loan) | 21 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | → Plymouth Argyle (loan) | 33 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | → Vejle (loan) | 20 | (0) |
| 2022–2024 | Arouca | 26 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | → İstanbul Başakşehir (loan) | 28 | (4) |
| 2024– | İstanbul Başakşehir | 59 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Ghana | 6 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 25 March 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 20 June 2024 | |||
Jerome Osei Opoku (born 14 October 1998) is a professional footballer. He plays as a centre-back for Süper Lig club İstanbul Başakşehir. Born in England, he plays for the Ghana national team.
Opoku grew up admiring Gareth Bale and initially aspired to become a top-class winger. However, during his U-15 years, his coach Mark Pembridge shifted him to left-back. Around the same time, a sudden growth spurt prompted another change — this time to centre-back — a position he would go on to play for most of his senior career.
As captain of Fulham’s U-16 team, Opoku led the side to victory in the 2014 Premier League International Cup, defeating a highly-rated Chelsea squad in the final.[citation needed]
He captained the Fulham U23s at the end of the 2018–19 season.[3]
On 2 September 2019, Opoku was sent on loan to League One side Accrington Stanley in order to gain first team experience.[4] He made his Accrington debut against Bristol Rovers on 7 September 2019 in an eventual 3–3 draw. After a 3–1 defeat to Sunderland, in an interview he claimed he would play anywhere the coach put him.[5]
On 25 September 2020, Opoku joined League One side Plymouth Argyle on loan until January.[6]
On 30 July 2021, Opoku was loaned out again, this time to Danish Superliga club Vejle Boldklub, for the entire 2021–22 season.[7]
On 24 June 2022, Opoku joined Portuguese Primeira Liga side Arouca on a free transfer, signing a three-year contract.[8][9]
On 14 September 2023, Opoku signed a one-year contract extension with Arouca, until 2026,[10] and was immediately sent on a season-long loan to Süper Lig side İstanbul Başakşehir.[11]
International career
Born in England, Opoku is of Ghanaian descent.[12] On 18 October 2023, he debuted for the Ghana national team in a friendly loss to the United States national team.[13]
