German-born Super Eagles goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, has spoken glowingly about a former keeper for the national team, Vincent Enyeama.
He is also saluting Eagles defender Leon Balogun.
According to him, Enyeama is someone he sees as an hero while Baolgun is a source of inspiration.
Okay reveals this while speaking on why he chose to play for Eagles instead of the German national team.
In a chat with ‘Eagles Tracker’, he said, “I admire Vincent Enyeama, he’s a legend. What he has done for this country, he’s an idol. I am looking up to him and I want to do things for Nigeria he has done, that’s why I’m looking up to him.”
“Leon Balogun because he is also half-German and he’s like a big brother, he told me everything and he introduced me to everyone very well.
“Now we are a big family, every player is like a brother to me. I am learning everyday from every player when I’m with the Eagles. It’s a blessing to be part of this team.”
Concerning the reason for playing for Nigeria, he added, “Simply the love for Nigeria and the way I grew up, it was an easy decision.
“It’s always being a dream to play for Nigeria, the chance came and I took it directly. There was no second I wanted to waste.”
According to his Wikipedia profile, Maduka was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, to a Nigerian Father and a German Mother. He started his career in 2012 with Bayer Leverkusen, turning up for their Youth team.
In 2017, he left Bayer Leverkusen for Fortuna Düsseldorf, where he played for their Youth team and the senior team, Fortuna Düsseldorf II. In 2018, he was fully promoted to Fortuna Düsseldorf II, a football team that plays in the Regionalliga West.
In the summer of 2017, he left the youth team of Bayer Leverkusen, where he has played since 2012 to join the youth team of Fortuna Düsseldorf.
On 14 October 2017, he made his professional debut in the Regionalliga West for Fortuna Düsseldorf II in a game against Wuppertaler SV, replacing the injured Max Schijns on the 43rd minute of the game.
He finished the 2017/2018 season with just 5 appearances, conceding just 1 goal and keeping 4 clean sheets, while his club finished the season in the 15th position with 36 points after 34 games, narrowly escaping relegation to Oberliga.
In the 2018/2019 season, he became the club regular goalkeeper. On 13 April 2019, he played his last match of the season, against SV Rödinghausen, after being replaced in goal for the next matches by goalkeeper Jannick Theissen.
Okoye finished the season with 15 appearances, conceding 25 goals and keeping 3 clean sheets. This time, his club did better than the previous season, finishing the season in the 12th position with 42 points after 34 games.
On 24 August 2019, he played his first match of the 2019/2020 season in a 2–1 home win against Schalke 04 II.
