I Felt At Home In The Super Eagles ‘Family’ – Maduka Okoye

By: Oma Akatugba

German-born Nigerian goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye has said representing the Super Eagles is a dream come true for him. The Fortuna Düsseldorf goalie was invited as one of three goalkeepers for the friendly against Ukraine.

The game ended 2-2 with a beautiful display from a very youthful Nigerian team. While Okoye did not feature in the game, he said the experience was great for him as he was accepted by other players very pleasantly. Speaking with Omasport, the 20-year old goalkeeper said; ”Being in the Super Eagles camp is a dream come true for me and it is a product of my hard work. Honestly, it is my pleasure to be in this great team. I had an unbelievable experience in the camp. ”I was received very well by other members of the team. They were very kind and in Leon Balogun, I had someone who speaks German too. He was my big brother in camp and told me everything about the team and all I needed to know about the family. While singing the Nigerian song, they went crazy and I think they loved me from the start.

Choice of “Madu” by Kiss Daniel As Welcome Song ”I was a bit nervous, because I knew I had to sing after dinner. So when I started singing and everyone clapped, laughed and sang along, I felt more comfortable.

While Okoye admitted he is in a competition with other goalkeepers in the team, he likes the brotherhood they’ve shown as they vie to make one another better. ”I am competing with Francis Uzoho and Ikechukwu Ezenwa but we are brothers because in this team, we are one big family. We push each other and get better together,” he concluded.