Maduka Okoye’s Ascent: From Bench to Brilliance

The 24-year-old keeper endured a slow start to life in Italy following his move from Watford last summer.

Okoye was on the bench in his early days after joining the club, with his solitary appearance coming in the Copa Italia against Cagliari.

He finally got his breakthrough in a Serie A game against Bologna in December, and since then, he has racked up nine appearances and kept three clean sheets, including stunning performance away at Juventus.

“The day before the match, coach Gabriele Cioffi told me that I would be the starter. He asked me if I was ready and said he trusted me,” Okoye said via the club’s website.

Having established himself as the club’s new number one, Okoye is keen on playing more matches for Udinese.

“It requires greater precision and a lot of tactics, as there are many strong players. The approach is not the same in every championship. All my teammates and my family have helped me a lot.”

“Of course, the goal is that of all highly competitive players, I wanted and always want to play, but I’m focused on work. I am happy with what I have done on the pitch so far,” he said.​

Maduka Okoye also revealed his intention to return to the National team for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Africa in June.