Maduka Okoye Makes It Into Serie A Team Of The Week

Nigerian goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, seems to have the best time of his life in Italy as he was named in the Serie A team of the week after missing out on the Super Eagles’ 2023 AFCON squad.

Maduka Okoye made it to the Serie A team of the week thanks to his outstanding performance in Udinese’s 2-0 loss to Atalanta. The two goals he conceded during the game couldn’t change his status as the best goalkeeper in Serie A last week.

In the game against Atalanta, the out-of-favour Nigeria international made nine saves to minimize the humiliation his team would have suffered on Saturday, January 27.

The Nigerian goalkeeper, who was busy throughout the game, held Udinese to just a 2-0 defeat.

Maduka has started for Udinese in the last five games after struggling to break into the starting lineup since joining the Italian team in the summer. Then, he was seen as the team’s backup goalkeeper, but he is gradually winning the hearts of the team’s coaching crew.

He has conceded nine goals and recorded one clean sheet in his last five appearances for the club.

Maduka Okoye, Super Eagles’ first-choice goalkeeper in the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon, wasn’t invited for the 2023 AFCON due to his inconsistent performance. But he seems to be taking advantage of his absence in Ivory Coast.

In his place, coach Jose Peseiro invited Olorunleke Ojo alongside Stanley Nwabali, and the usual suspended Francis Uzoho.

So far at the 2023 AFCON, Nwabali has been the number one choice for the Portuguese tactician, making Okoye’s return as the team’s first-choice goalkeeper tougher.