Nathaniel Opoku (born 22 July 2001) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Northampton Town.
Early life Opoku started playing football in Ghana with the FDM Field Masters where he was a teammate of Kamal Sowah.
Career College in United States
Opoku played for Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky, where he scored 19 goals and five assists in 19 games in 2021.
In 2022, Opoku transferred to Syracuse University, where he became a prominent striker in the Atlantic Coast Conference under head coach Ian McIntyre. He helped Syracuse Orange men's soccer team win the National Championship in the 2022 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, scoring in the final before they defeated eight-time NCAA Champions Indiana 7-6 on penalties. He totaled 11 goals and eight assists in 25 matches for Syracuse. At the end of the 2022 season, Opoku was named to United Soccer Coaches’ Third-Team All-America and All-ACC First Team as well as he was the NCAA College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player, 2022 NCAA All-Tournament Team honoree.
Ventura County Fusion Opoku played for Ventura County Fusion in USL League Two in 2022. He played and was named as the MVP as Fusion defeated the Long Island Rough Riders to win the USL League Two championship in 2022. Opoku scored 11 goals in 16 appearances in 2022 for Ventura County Fusion.
Leicester City In January 2023, Opoku was reported to have signed for Premier League club Leicester City and loaned to Belgian club OH Leuven. According to Sky Sports News, Opoku rejected the opportunity to be a top pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft in favour of the European move. Opoku scored his first league goal for Leuven on April 8, 2023, in a 4–1 home win against KV Mechelen. In April 2024, he suffered a double leg fracture playing for Leuven against Westerlo.
On 1 September 2025, Opoku joined EFL League Two club Newport County on loan until January 2026. He scored his first goal for Newport on his debut five days later, coming on as a substitute for Matt Baker in the 64th-minute of a 3–2 home defeat to Bristol Rovers in the league. On 1 January 2026, his loan was extended until the end of the 2025–26 season.
Northampton Town Opoku joined League Two club Northampton Town on 21 August 2026 for an undisclosed fee.
Personal life Opoku is from Accra, Ghana.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational CupLeague CupOthersTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsOH Leuven (loan)2022–23Belgian Pro League7300——73OH Leuven (loan)2023–24Belgian Pro League20210——212Newport County (loan)2025–26EFL League Two30610—20336Northampton Town2026–27EFL League Two2100—0021Career total59122000206312
Honours Syracuse University
Atlantic Division regular season: 2022 ACC men's soccer tournament: 2022 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament: 2022
Ventura County Fusion
USL League Two: 2022 Individual
USL League Two Championship MVP: 2022 USL League Two All-League Team: 2022 USL League Two Western Conference Team: 2022 NCAA Division I Most Outstanding Offensive Player: 2022 NCAA All-Tournament Team: 2022 All-ACC First Team: 2022 NCAA Third Team All-America: 2022
References
External links Syracuse Athletics bio