Opare dreams of Real Madrid place

By Michael oti Adjei
BBC Sport, Accra

Despite Real Madrid's recent huge signings including a world record fee for Christiano Ronaldo, Ghanaian defender Daniel Opare remains hopeful of carving out a place in the first team.

Opare made 30 appearances for Real Madrid's reserve team last season

The 18-year old Ghana junior international has been playing for their reserve team, Real Madrid Castilla, for the past two seasons.

But he remains supremely confident that he can get his breakthrough this season, despite the club's big spending spree on star names.

World Player of the Year Ronaldo joined other new signings Brazilian Kaka and French international Kareem Benzema at the Bernabeu.

"If you look at the first team, yes they are buying big players but most of them are forwards", Opare told the BBC's African sports programme Fast Track.

"They have not bought many defenders, but Fabio Cannavaro is gone and Sergio Ramos can play in the middle so there is space in defence.

"With a new team there will be a few games for players like myself to prove a point.

Opare was one of the star players for Ghana from his right-back position during their run to the semi-finals of the 2007 Under-17 World Cup."

I know I will be pulling on that Madrid jersey one day Daniel Opare

But his decision to join Real Madrid led to suggestions he would struggle to fulfil his potential, given the limited opportunities for youth team players at the Bernabeu.

"I don't know really how people think sometimes. I don't know any player in this world who would reject an offer from Real Madrid," he explained.

"Although I'm young and it's a really big team, I look at myself and the potential and ability that I have as a player to be a big star and I see nothing wrong with being there.

"All I have to do is to work hard and break into the first team.

"When you hear the big names for the first time you panic a bit. The first time I was asked to train with the first team I asked questions of myself, I wondered if I was in their class.

"But once training started I felt at home and simply told myself we are all footballers."

But even with his confidence Opare knows that, like Samuel Eto'o who spent much of his Madrid career shuffling between clubs on loan, he might have to prove himself elsewhere first.

"You don't have to depend on one plan so the loan option is something I will look at," he said.

"If I think it won't help me to stay there, I will go on loan but I know I will be pulling on that Madrid jersey one day. It is what I want."