Italian club Udinese goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye has expressed his happiness at being recalled to the Super Eagles.
It will be recalled he was included in Finidi George’s 23-man team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin.
Since getting an invitation to play in international friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique last year in October, Okoye hasn’t been called up for national team duty. He turned down the invitation after facing backlash from fans on social media following his mistake in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final loss to Tunisia.
The 24-year-old’s comeback is due to his outstanding season with Udinese, where his remarkable goalkeeping has helped the team maintain its Serie A position.
Speaking with the press after Udinese’s close win against Frosinone yesterday, he shared his happiness at returning to the Super Eagles squad. He kept five clean sheets and played in 22 matches across all competitions this season, the most since the 2021–2022 campaign.
According to Udinese’s official website, Okoye said, “I am very happy to return to the national team. It is a great honour for me and my family to play for Nigeria. But in the meantime, Alé Udin!”
Okoye hasn’t played for the three-time African champions since making a mistake in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 match against Tunisia.
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles star also spoke about helping his team stay in the Serie A top-flight.
He continued, “For the city, for the team. Playing in Serie A is very important for the city and the club. I’m happy, I’m feeling a lot of emotions right now,”
“It was important for us to give a nice permanence, wasn’t it to father Gianpaolo Pozzo. It’s important for me, I can still work on many things.
“I have a great coach, I will definitely improve further in the future. “ Other happy news is the call-up of him with his Nigeria.
He will have to fight for a starting place with the current number, Stanley Nwabali or accept being a back-up keeper.
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