Raphael Ohin has been in dark places and lived every nanosecond of more than his share of low moments. And with those experiences now fading in the rear-view mirror, the veteran Valour FC midfielder has his eyes fixed squarely on the road ahead.

“I’m happy. I’m feeling really good,” began Ohin in a chat with valourfootball.club following the announcement he has re-signed for 2024 and his sixth season with the club. “I have such a love for this sport. I know it’s not over for me yet.”

A deeply religious man, Ohin has occasionally had his faith tested over the past two years after two serious knee injuries have cost him good chunks of the prime of his career. He suffered the first on the first day of training in March of 2022 – erasing his entire season – and then worked to be back on the pitch at the start of last season. Yet, in just his second appearance with the club he reinjured the same knee and lost the rest of his 2023 campaign.

That moment was only further compounded by the death of his father in late March, just days before the opening of the Canadian Premier League season.

“I’m proud that I fought through all this. I’m a fighter,” he said. “My family motivated me a lot and prayed for me a lot. They were constantly checking on me and telling me to keep my head up. I never thought of giving up. But it has been a really, really tough two years for me fighting through these injuries and dealing with the loss of my dad.

“I was honestly in a dark place sometimes. Again, though, it was my family and the people I have around me that told me to keep fighting. There are times when I sit here and think, ‘I don’t know what this is.’ But I have a feeling God only knows and it will all make sense one day and I’m really looking forward to that.”

Critical in his road back was the encouragement of Valour FC GM and head coach Phillip Dos Santos, who became not just a supporter and confidant, but played a key role in helping Ohin battle through the mental and physical grind of rehab.

“I’m grateful for him,” Ohin said. “Going through my rehab, sometimes my head would be down, and he was more excited than me. He would be, ‘Raph, I have faith in you.’  Sometimes I would lose my faith and he would pick me up.”

“He’s an easy player to cheer for because he has shown such a demonstration of resilience,” added Dos Santos. “We’ll go very cautiously, but optimistically with him. We know how serious he takes this, and he worked hard all winter on his recovery. We’re faithful this will be a year he turns the corner.”

Originally signed by Valour back in the inaugural season of 2019, Ohin has made 54 appearances for the club. The 28-year-old product of Ghana has been a mainstay in Winnipeg since 2016 and his resilience and perseverance has made him a fan favourite.

“We know what he also means to the community,” said Dos Santos. “He’s someone who is very involved here and he’s a player that, if not for the setback last year, probably would have been influential for this club.

“We know his value. We know what he brings on the field and we think he has very unique qualities. The question was, ‘Do we gamble on a guy that has had a history of injuries in the last couple of years?’ This was the only one where I came forward and took full responsibility on because I really think the return could be very high. I would have hated to see him come back with another club and not one he considers as home. Of course, it took a bit of time because we wanted to see how his body would cope with everything, but we believe this could be a very, very big year for him.”

And, again, that’s Ohin’s approach now: the past is the past. It’s eyes forward now, with the man nicknamed the ‘Rhino’ charging full on into 2024.

“It hasn’t been easy,” he said. “I look at players who have struggled with injuries one or two times and a lot of times they give up. It is really scary. There were times where it scared the living hell out of me.

“And so, when I step onto the field again for the first time this season, it’s going to be really emotional. Very emotional. And like I said earlier, it’s a moment then where this plan for me all make sense.”