TheCable

Maduka Okoye, Super Eagles shot stopper, says he became a goalkeeper by accident.

The 20-year-old German-born Nigerian professional footballer told TheCable that he started out as a striker when he was little but an incident with his club side goalkeeper made him volunteer for the position.

Okoye admitted that the decision he took that day changed his career position on the field of play to a shot stopper.

“Becoming a goalkeeper happened by accident. I started out as a striker,” Okoye told TheCable.

“The goalkeeper of our club when I was about four or five year old was cold and couldn’t stay between the sticks no more.

“So, I volunteered to try it out and since then I have been between the sticks.”

The Fortuna Dusseldorf’s goalkeeper also disclosed that it was an easy decision for him picking Nigeria ahead of his country of birth.

“It was an easy decision when it came for me to choose between Nigeria and Germany,” he said.

“I never had to think of it. It was direct from my heart because I wanted to play for Nigeria my whole life and it is a dream come true.”

Gernot Rohr, Super Eagles coach, invited Maduka for a friendly against Ukraine that was played on September 10 in Dnipro Arena.

Okoye made his international debut as a substitute in a 1-1 friendly match against Brazil on October 13, 2019 in Singapore.