English-born Ghanaian defender, Jerome Opoku has expressed elation after finally making his full competitive debut for the Black Stars and stated he knew the opportunity was always going to come and was just a matter of time.
The 26-year-old has been with the Ghana senior national team since 2023 but wasn't getting game time due to the presence of Alexander Djiku, Mohammed Salisu, Daniel Amartey and others.
However, the stalwart center-back debuted against USA in 2023 and also featured in other friendlies against Nigeria and Uganda as well.
Finally in the recent international window, the Turkish-based defender made his competitive debut with a cameo appearance against Chad before finally making his first competitive start in the 3-0 win over Madagascar in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Speaking in an interview with Flashscore, Jerome Opoku stated that, playing for Ghana is a huge honor for him and was very optimistic his time was going to come and is looking forward to maintaining his spot in the squad.
“I’ve been really working hard and looking forward to getting a chance in the national team and I knew such a day will come for me to help the team. For me it’s always been a dream and a privilege to wear the national colors and defend the nation.”
"I would say I was a little surprised to start against Madagascar but as I said I had always worked and looked forward to having my time here and I hope I did what was expected of me and didn’t disappoint Ghanaians and the team. I’m super happy to finally make my official debut and full competitive debut for my country, it’s an honor."
He furthered on by saying emphatically that the Black Stars will by all means qualify for the next World Cup.
“I am 200% confident of qualifying. That’s the aim and dream. We know it’s not job done yet and it won’t be easy but we will fight hard till the end to ensure that we secure the necessary and needed points to be first in group and qualify for the World Cup.
“We are working diligently to improve our game, and ensure we secure the necessary results in the remaining matches to qualify for the World Cup. We remain focused on the task ahead and believe that we will achieve our goal.”
Jerome Opoku has been outstanding this season in the Turkish Super Lig having scored 2 goals and created 3 as a center-back in 24 games for Istanbul Basaksehir.
