The past year did not go quite as Raphael Ohin planned it.

An ACL tear on the first day of preseason last February meant the Valour FC midfielder would miss the entire 2022 campaign with the first major injury he’d ever had in his career. The year prior, he’d played all but two of the Winnipeg club’s games and was one of its most impactful players.

“I was a mess the first couple weeks; I didn’t know what was going on. I was just like, ‘What is this? Is this true?'” Ohin told CanPL.ca recently.

“I felt strong. I felt like I can go, I can play, and all of that. And finally when the MRI came out and it shows it was the ACL injury, that’s where all the negative vibes, all the frustration, the sad moments, everything just left right away. I accepted it for what it is; I was looking forward to what is next.”

Ohin isn’t the first footballer to suffer such an injury — nor, indeed, the only Valour player. Club captain Andrew Jean-Baptiste, for instance, missed the latter half of the 2021 season with a similar ailment.

So, the 27-year-old Ohin accepted his fate and began the rehab process, always with an eye on a 2023 return. Leaning on his family, his teammates, his faith, and even the supportive messages of fans, the Rhino — as he’s affectionately known in Winnipeg — spent 2022 ultra-focused on that goal.

“I heard it so many times every day, ‘Raph, stay positive, you’re gonna come back strong,'” he recounted. “‘The amount of work that you’re gonna do during your rehab is something you’ve never, ever done before, and I’m not sure you’re gonna do something like this again.'”

In the meantime, though, Ohin has still managed to make an impact away from the pitch.

A native of Accra, Ghana, Ohin’s circuitous path to professional soccer in Canada has been well documented. Even while sidelined with injury, he’s remained profoundly grateful for the life as a footballer he’s found in his adopted home of Winnipeg, recalling how close he’d come to giving up on that dream.

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Since arriving in Manitoba — even before he signed for Valour in 2019 as one of the club’s originals — Ohin has always made it a priority to try and give back to his hometown in Ghana, trying to help give other kids a chance at playing the sport he loves. He’s spent countless afternoons in local Winnipeg thrift stores looking for football boots and other equipment he can send back home.

“I learned this from my parents, I believe there’s nothing better than helping people,” Ohin said. “I know how difficult and just how expensive or hard it can be back home with cleats; giving young talent shoes to play in — it can be really, really difficult. I’m sure you’ve seen videos of Africa, kids playing without shoes and all of that; it can be really hard.

“I started doing this before I became a professional, back in my semi-pro days. The little money that I get, I’d go to Value Village, just go out there and walk around, see things. Every day, I just wanted to pay back. Something is always telling me, ‘Hey Raph, you’ve got to help someone.'”

Whenever he can, Ohin collects equipment to send back home each year, for his siblings back in Ghana to distribute to young soccer players.

Since joining Valour, Ohin has made it a tradition at the end of each season to put out a box in the dressing room and ask his teammates to contribute any boots or gear they can part with.

“If there’s any shoes that you don’t like, maybe shoes that are a little bit ripped up, don’t toss it in the garbage,” he said. “Just put it in that big box, I want them.”

This off-season, Ohin himself went back to Accra to deliver his latest haul of equipment. A number of his Valour teammates — from Sean Rea to Daryl Fordyce to Brett Levis, and more — had donated their boots, and goalkeepers Jonathan Sirois and Rayane Yesli contributed a pile of their gloves as well.

“It’s a huge blessing to lots of young talent in my community,” Ohin said. “I’m just hoping I’ll take it to the next level.”

Now, of course, Ohin is back in Winnipeg gearing up for a highly-anticipated return to the pitch at IG Field. With Valour’s preseason recently kicking off, Ohin — now the only remaining member of the club’s inaugural squad in 2019 — finds himself a key veteran in coach Phillip Dos Santos’ side.

Ohin, despite missing an entire season, is joint-third on Valour’s all-time appearances list with 57 games. He’s played more times for the club than any other player on the current roster.

The versatile midfielder, who showed in 2021 that he can slot into almost any position across the pitch and change a game with his characteristic energy and tenacity, looks set to return in full force as a cornerstone of the 2023 team.

“All I can say is I’m excited; I know a lot of people are dying to see me play and I’m also dying to play,” Ohin said. “People have already started saying I’m going to be one of the veterans on this team. This will be my fifth season; I’m looking forward to playing with the new guys that are coming in, both old and young, and just pushing them, pushing our team, driving the team forward with my experience, with my ability, what I can do on the field.”

As for whether Ohin can come back with the same impact he had before his injury? He’s confident he’ll remind the CPL what he can do.

“It’s just like, I’m the same. I’m the same Rhino, but I’m even more hungry than before.”