Daniel Opare Shares Emotional Story on How Injuries Ruined His Real Madrid Breakthrough
- Daniel Opare has opened up on how injuries shattered his dream of breaking into the senior team at Real Madrid just 48 hours before his big opportunity
- Despite spending two years with Los Blancos, the ex-Black Stars defender never made a competitive appearance for the first team
- Although his journey in Spain did not unfold as expected, Opare still went on to enjoy a respectable professional career before retirement
Former Ghana international Daniel Opare has opened up about the heartbreaking injury that denied him a dream debut for Real Madrid.
The retired defender was on the verge of becoming the first Ghanaian to feature for Real Madrid’s senior team before cruel misfortune struck just 48 hours before his expected breakthrough.
Source: Getty Images
Opare earned his move to the Spanish giants after impressing for Ghana’s Black Starlets at the 2007 FIFA U17 World Cup.
The former AshGold academy graduate quickly rose through the ranks and caught attention with strong performances for Real Madrid Castilla.
At the time, injuries and suspensions had left Madrid short of options at right back, creating a golden opportunity for the young Ghanaian.
He had already been training regularly with the first team under the then coach Juande Ramos and looked set to make the matchday squad.
Source: Getty Images
Opare shares heartbreaking tale at Madrid
Speaking in an interview with Joy Sports, Opare emotionally recounted how everything changed during training.
"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."
"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."
At the time, Sergio Ramos was still operating mainly as a right-back and was unavailable through suspension.
Watch Opare's training session with Madrid's first team, as shared on YouTube:
With Madrid lacking options in that position, Opare was in line to either start or come off the bench. Unfortunately, the injury ended those hopes instantly.
What happened to Opare after Madrid heartbreak?
Although he never featured for Real Madrid’s senior side during his two-year stay in Spain, Opare still carved out a respectable professional career across Europe.
The 35-year-old spent most of his playing days in Belgium, particularly with Standard Liège, where he established himself as a reliable defender.
According to Transfermarkt, he made 119 appearances for the club.
His football journey also took him to clubs such as FC Porto, Besiktas, Augsburg, RC Lens, Zulte Waregem, Royal Antwerp and Seraing.
After a career that spanned more than a decade across several European leagues, Opare officially retired from professional football in November 2025.
How injuries ruined Sule's Real Madrid dream
In a similar publication, YEN.com.gh reported how Baba Sule saw his dream of playing for Real Madrid slip away due to persistent injury setbacks.
A series of fitness problems kept the once-promising midfielder stuck in recovery rather than battling for a place in the team.
Source: YEN.com.gh
