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Nathaniel Opoku is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a forward or an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Leicester City.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nathaniel Opoku | ||
| Date of birth | 22 July 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward, attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Leicester City | ||
| Youth career | |||
| FDM Field Masters | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021 | Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders | 19 | (19) |
| 2022 | Syracuse Orange | 25 | (11) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022 | Ventura County Fusion | 16 | (11) |
| 2023– | Leicester City | 0 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | → OH Leuven (loan) | 27 | (5) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 29 May 2024 | |||
Opoku started playing football in Ghana with the FDM Field Masters where he was a teammate of Kamal Sowah.[2]
College in United States
Opoku played for Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky, where he scored 19 goals and five assists in 19 games in 2021.[3]
In 2022, Opoku transferred to Syracuse University, where he became a prominent striker in the Atlantic Coast Conference under head coach Ian McIntyre.[4][5] He helped Syracuse Orange men's soccer team win the National Championship in the 2022 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, scoring in the final before they defeated eight-time NCAA Champions Indiana 7-6 on penalties.[6] He totaled 11 goals and eight assists in 25 matches for Syracuse.[5] At the end of the 2022 season, Opoku was named to United Soccer Coaches’ Third-Team All-America and All-ACC First Team[7] as well as he was the NCAA College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player,[8] 2022 NCAA All-Tournament Team honoree.[1]
Ventura County Fusion
Opoku played for Ventura County Fusion in USL League Two in 2022. He played and was named as the MVP as Fusion defeated the Long Island Rough Riders to win the USL League Two championship in 2022.[9] Opoku scored 11 goals in 16 appearances in 2022 for Ventura County Fusion.[10]
Leicester City and loan to Belgium
In January 2023, Opoku was reported to have signed for Premier League club Leicester City and loaned to Belgian club OH Leuven.[11][12] According to Sky Sports News, Opoku rejected the opportunity to be a top pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft in favour of the European move.[13] Opoku scored his first league goal for Leuven on April 8, 2023 in a 4–1 home win against KV Mechelen.[14] In April 2024, he suffered a double leg fracture playing for Leuven against Westerlo.[15]
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Opoku is from Accra, Ghana.[16]
Syracuse University
- Atlantic Division regular season: 2022
- ACC men's soccer tournament: 2022[17]
- NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament: 2022[18]
- Ventura County Fusion
Individual
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