‘The boy said yes’ – How Udinese star became Super Eagles goalkeeper through ex-Nice striker

Former Super Eagles and FC Schalke 04 striker Victor Agali has opened up on how he scouted Maduka Okoye for the Nigerian National team, Afrik Foot reports.

Agali represented the Green and Whites on twelve occasions, scoring five times, none of which came in a major tournament.

Maduka Okoye, meanwhile, was born in Germany, but made his first appearance for the Super Eagles in 2019 under coach Gernot Rohr.

Agali reveals how he scouted Maduka Okoye for the Super Eagles

While Okoye’s father is Nigerian, the route to representing the three-time African Champions wasn’t an easy one, as Agali explained.

The 47-year-old revealed he was working as a scout after retiring when he saw Okoye in action for Fortuna Düsseldorf’s B side.

“I was with his father in Düsseldorf; I was in the stadium watching him play for the second team,” Agali said on the Bet 9ja Home Turf Podcast.

“At that time, the coach of Fortuna Düsseldorf was my former coach, so I had access and went to watch the game.

“The boy said yes, he would love to play for Nigeria, but not the Super Eagles. He was ready for U17 or U20.

“People had the players they wanted in the team, but I tracked talents across Europe. That’s how we found players like Okoye,” the one-time DFB Pokal winner concluded.

Okoye became a mainstay in the Super Eagles team up until the AFCON 2021 tournament, where his error knocked Nigeria out against Tunisia.

The aftermath of the backlash he suffered due to the error forced the goalkeeper to take an extended break from the National team before returning to action in June 2025.