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.