Ghanaian youngster Kojo Peprah Oppong has made an eye-catching start to life in France, admitting he is “surprised” by how quickly he has broken into the first team at Ligue 1 side OGC Nice.
The 21-year-old defender joined Nice from Swedish club IFK Norrköping earlier this summer for a nominal fee. Initially, he was tipped to develop gradually under the watchful eye of the team’s experienced backline.
However, his rapid progress has exceeded expectations.
After making his debut as a substitute in Nice’s UEFA Champions League qualifier against Portuguese giants SL Benfica in August, Oppong has gone on to cement a starting role. Remarkably, he has featured in the starting XI for every competitive game since, including Saturday’s Ligue 1 clash against FC Nantes—even with veteran captain Dante returning from injury.
Reflecting on his unexpected rise, Oppong admitted he didn’t anticipate such a prominent role so soon.
“I’m surprised,” he said after the match. “I am taking it step by step. I didn’t expect to play this much in the beginning, but I’m now playing a lot and I expect a lot from myself.”
Oppong also revealed that Dante has been a guiding influence, offering crucial advice to help him adjust to the demands of top-flight French football.
“It was really good to have him back. He helps us young players a lot,” Oppong explained. “I spoke to him after the game and it was good to have some feedback from him. He said that it is important to manage the game, to save some energy, and especially when we are leading, not to attack too much as centre-backs. That was really good advice.”
The Ghanaian’s emergence has been one of the standout stories of the Ligue 1 season so far, and his progress is being closely followed by fans back home. If his early form is anything to go by, Oppong looks set to play a significant role in Nice’s campaign and establish himself as one of Ghana’s brightest defensive prospects.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com
