Maduka Emilio Okoye is a Nigeria professional footballer born on August 28, 1999, in Düsseldorf, Germany. He plays as a goalkeeper for the Italian Serie A club Udinese and the Nigeria national team.
Internationally, Okoye chose to represent Nigeria, his father’s home country. He has been part of the Nigeria national team since 2019 and has earned 16 caps.
His decision to play for Nigeria highlights his connection to his roots, despite being born and raised in Germany. Maduka Okoye comes from a family with notable connections.
Okoye is related to the famous Nigerian music duo P-Square. Peter and Paul Okoye, the twin brothers who make up P-Square, are Maduka’s cousins.
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Maduka Okoye Club Career:
Fortuna Düsseldorf II
Maduka Okoye began his club career in the youth team of Bayer Leverkusen, where he played from 2009 until the summer of 2017. That year, he moved to the youth team of Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Okoye made his professional debut for Fortuna Düsseldorf II on 14 October 2017 in a Regionalliga West match against Wuppertaler SV. He came on in the 43rd minute, replacing the injured Max Schijns.
During the 2017/2018 season, Okoye played in 5 matches, conceding only 1 goal and keeping 4 clean sheets. His performances helped the team finish 15th in the league, just avoiding relegation.
In the 2018/2019 season, Okoye became the first-choice goalkeeper for Fortuna Düsseldorf II. He played his final match of the season on 13 April 2019 against SV Rödinghausen before being replaced by Jannick Theissen for the remaining games.
Okoye finished the season with 15 appearances, conceding 25 goals and keeping 3 clean sheets. His efforts contributed to the team finishing in 12th place, which was Indeed a better result than the previous season.
On 24 August 2019, Okoye started the 2019/2020 season with a 2–1 home win against Schalke 04 II. His steady performances between the posts continued to make him a key player for Fortuna Düsseldorf II.
Sparta Rotterdam
In July 2020, he took an important step in his career, signing with Sparta Rotterdam, a team that plays in the Eredivisie, the top football league in the Netherlands.
This move was good because Okoye joined the team on a free transfer. During his first season with Sparta Rotterdam, Okoye made a big impact.
He played in 28 league games and managed to keep 10 clean sheets. This impressive performance helped Okoye win Sparta’s Player of the Season for the 2020/21 season.
Because of his excellent performance, Sparta Rotterdam decided to extend Okoye’s contract. On 4 August 2021, he signed a new deal that would keep him at the club until 2025.
Watford
Maduka Okoye’s club career is quite interesting. On November 8, 2021, it was announced that he had agreed to join Watford in the Premier League.
He signed a contract for five and a half years, although the exact amount of money involved was not revealed. Even though Okoye joined Watford officially on January 1, 2022, he did not start playing for them right away.
Instead, he was loaned back to his previous team, Sparta Rotterdam, for the rest of the 2021–22 season. Okoye finally made his debut for Watford on August 23, 2022.
This was in a match against MK Dons in the second round of the EFL Cup. Unfortunately, the game did not go as planned for Watford, and they lost 2-0 at home.
Udinese
On 24 August 2023, Okoye signed with Udinese in Italy, for an undisclosed fee. This move marks an important step in his career, giving him the chance to play in one of Europe’s top leagues and further develop his talents.
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Maduka Okoye International Career:
Maduka made his international debut on 13 October 2019 as a substitute in a friendly match against Brazil, which ended in a 1-1 draw. His performance was seen as the beginning of his career with the Nigerian National Team.
On 25 December 2021, Maduka was shortlisted for the 2021 AFCON Nations Cup by Caretaker Coach Eguavoen as part of the 28-man Nigeria squad. This inclusion highlighted his growing talent as a goalkeeper for the national team.
Maduka Okoye Contract Details:
Maduka Okoye, a goalkeeper for the Super Eagles, has signed a four-year contract with Udinese, an Italian Serie A club. This move was confirmed by Udinese on their official website on Thursday.
Okoye joins Udinese from Watford, and his contract will keep him at the club until June 30, 2027. His current market value is €4.00 million, which is also his highest market value as of June 5, 2024.
Maduka Okoye Honours:
Bayer 04 Leverkusen U17:
- 1x German Under-17 Bundesliga champion
Individual
- Eredivisie Team of the Month (2022)
Kenneth is a an avid soccer follower, fan and writer. He is a consistent follower of the sport and is a fan of Chelsea FC.