Super Eagles: Has Maduka Okoye sealed Nigeria’s goalkeeping spot under Eric Chelle?

Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has lavished praise on coach Eric Chelle for restoring his faith in the Nigerian National team, Afrik Foot reports.

The Udinese shot-stopper enjoyed one of the finest seasons of his career in the just-concluded Serie A campaign, making 30 league appearances and keeping 10 clean sheets.

His performances for his club side saw him accrue more appearances for the Super Eagles this year than he has for the past four years.

The 26-year-old’s journey to this point, however, has been anything but smooth. After joining Premier League outfit Watford in January 2022, Okoye struggled for opportunities, and his international career stalled during the same period, as he took an extended break following his error in Nigeria’s AFCON 2021 loss to Tunisia.

The Germany-born Nigerian also suffered a two-month suspension from the Italian Football Federation in 2025 following allegations of match-fixing, an allegation he was ultimately cleared of, but he appears to be in control of his career moving forward.

Okoye lauds Chelle’s role in his Super Eagles return

The goalkeeper has expressed his gratitude toward the Franco-Malian tactician, making it clear that Chelle’s trust was a decisive factor in reigniting his passion for the Super Eagles.

“I had a good run this year and a great finish for me with the games against Poland and Portugal,” Okoye said in an interview with Transfermarkt.

“Playing against players like Robert Lewandowski or Cristiano Ronaldo is special.”

In the game against Poland, the former Düsseldorf goalie ensured he kept Lewandowski quiet, making two outstanding saves to deny the Polish record goalscorer his 90th strike for his country.

The feat repeated itself against Portugal, this time, against one of the greatest players of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo, denying the five-time Ballon d’Or winner thrice.

Okoye’s Instagram page following exploded after the game as he gained over 400,000 new followers, a figure he acknowledged was a result of the pictures he took with Ronaldo.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Maduka Okoye (@madukaokoye)

Still, behind the internet fame, the goalie has a sincere appreciation for the opportunities Eric Chelle gave him.

“Apart from the performance I’m personally very happy with, the fun I’ve had on the pitch for the last few months is priceless,” he continued.

“I am very grateful to national coach Éric Chelle for giving me these games and his confidence.

“We have a lot of good goalkeepers who deserve it too, but he gave me the chance to show myself and I hope I was able to repay that with performance.

“I hope that he and his coaching staff continue down this path with Nigeria. It’s a lot of fun to play under him,” Okoye concluded.

Has Maduka Okoye sealed Nigeria’s goalkeeping spot under Eric Chelle?

Okoye featured in three of Nigeria’s six international friendly matches in 2026 as a starter, and his performances against Poland and Portugal were precisely the kind of displays that make selection decisions straightforward for a coach.

A 2-2 draw against Poland and a narrow 1-2 defeat to Portugal, with Okoye commanding Nigeria’s backline, will definitely have impressed the former Mali head coach.

The numbers from his club season strengthen his case, more than any other goalkeeper in the current Super Eagles setup.

Nigeria’s goalkeeping department is not short of options. Francis Uzoho, Arthur Okonkwo, Adeleye Adebayo, and Stanley Nwabali have all had the chance to test themselves this year, and while some have performed far better than the others, there’s a resolve for the top two choices.

Given his experience in the Italian Serie A, Okoye has earned the right to reclaim his place as Nigeria’s number one between the sticks, largely due to Stanley Nwabali’s unresolved club situation.