Maduka Okoye: What does Cannavaro’s Udinese appointment mean for Super Eagles outcast?

Nigeria international Maduka Okoye could lose his position as Udinese’s first-choice goalkeeper with the arrival of Fabio Cannavaro.

Cannavaro, 50, was named as Gabrielle Cioffi’s successor after he was sacked on Monday following Udinese’s 1-0 defeat to Verona — the club’s fourth loss in their most recent five league matches.

He will be in charge of Udinese for the remainder of the campaign and will be assisted by his younger brother Paolo Cannavaro, whom he previously worked alongside during his stints as head coach of Chinese club Guangzhou and Benevento.

The new Udinese technical team will play their first game at the helm in the rescheduled match against Roma tonight.

The original fixture had to be postponed after visiting defender Evan Ndicka collapsed on the pitch with 18 minutes left to play.

Cannavaro led Italy to victory in the 2006 World Cup, earning 136 caps for his country during a 13-year international football career.

In the same year, he became just the third defender to win the Ballon d’Or, following in the footsteps of German players Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer.

He held the position of head coach for a considerable period with Chinese Super League club Guangzhou, overseeing 125 matches during a four-year tenure.

Cannavaro’s latest managerial role was as head coach of Serie B club Benevento. Prior to that, he had a brief stint as caretaker manager of the China national team.

It’s worth noting that the Udinese role marks Cannavaro’s debut in Serie A management.

Who wins the race to be Cannavaro’s number one?

The arrival of Cannavaro could shake up the club’s goalkeeping department. Marco Silvestri started the season as the club’s number one but lost his position to Okoye after some horrible goalkeeping errors, which eventually led to a bust-up with Cioffi.

Okoye, since taking over the goal post, has made 15 appearances, conceded 20 goals, and kept three clean sheets.

There are quiet discussions in Udine suggesting that Cannavaro may favour Silvestri due to his wealth of experience, which the club needs as they aim to avoid relegation.

Udinese are 17th on the league table- one place above the relegation zone on account of their superior goal difference to Frosinone.

Okoye joined the Italian outfit in August 2023 from Watford and has previously played for Fortuna Düsseldorf, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayer Leverkusen, and Sparta Rotterdam.

Is Maduka Okoye’s tenure with the Super Eagles over?

Since the conclusion of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, Okoye seems to have taken a hiatus from the national team.

Following Nigeria’s elimination by Tunisia, Okoye, formerly of Sparta Rotterdam, faced extensive social media criticism, prompting him to temporarily deactivate his social media accounts and step away from international duties.

Despite being physically fit and eligible for selection, both Okoye and the national team management agreed to his absence from the squad during the recent AFCON in Ivory Coast, where Nigeria finished as runners-up behind the hosts.

Furthermore, Okoye was omitted from the Super Eagles’ recent squad for international friendlies against Ghana and Mali last month.

Since his debut in 2019 in a friendly against Brazil, Okoye has represented the Super Eagles on 16 occasions.