Super Eagles and Udinese goalkeeper, Emilio Maduka Okoye, is relishing his competition with Stanley Nwabali as they both eye the number one spot in the Nigerian National team, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nwabali was in goal during the 2025 Unity Cup but was excused from Eric Chelle's team as he returned to Nigeria to complete his parents' burial.
Okoye started between the sticks in yesterday's friendly game against Russia, and he made three strong saves as the Super Eagles played out a 1-1 draw at the Luzhniki Stadium.
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Since then, the 25-year-old hasn't been able to reclaim his spot, as Stanley Nwabali has stood tall since the AFCON 2023 tournament in Ivory Coast.
Nonetheless, the Germany-born Nigerian isn't throwing in the towel just yet, praising Nwabali's antics, and revealed the competition is a healthy one to bring out the best in them.
“Of course, we know what Nwabali has done for our country. He's a very good goalkeeper and I think he deserves it because I never got to the level I have with the Super Eagles,” the former Watford goalkeeper said in an interview with Flashscore.
“I never brought my quality to the game, unfortunately. I haven’t reached that point yet. I pray and hope to achieve the same level of success with the national team as I have at club level because I think there's nothing greater than defending the goal of a country, especially a country like Nigeria.
“So, I really hope that I get to my level and he deserves to play right now, but I think there are always going to be some chances and opportunities, and I just have to be ready when they're coming,” the ex-Fortuna Dusseldorf goalkeeper added.
Following Nigeria's exit from the AFCON 2021 tournament, Maduka reveals he's learning how to handle criticism and the expectations of being a Super Eagles goalkeeper better.
“If it's club football, if it's football for the national team, it's part of the game and I think it's also important.
“I feel a lot of love also from the Nigerian fans, and I really, really appreciate them. All of them outside who are supporting when it's going good, when it's going bad. It's just great.
“We have so many Nigerians out there in this world, and it's just fantastic to have the right to play for this national team. I'm very, very honoured and proud of this.”
“There's also another side when it's not going good, pressure, a lot of talk on the internet, but we have to understand the people because football is our life, not just for us who are playing, but also for the fans. We also want to give them something back.
“We just have to perform; I just have to perform, and it's football. Sometimes you cannot get around it because nowadays we all use Instagram and other social media.
“Even though you want to shut it out, you see it sometimes, but like I said, it's part of the game, and you always just see the bad things.
“There are so many good and loving people out there, so I have to accept if it's good or if it's bad,” the 1.98 m-tall goalkeeper concluded.
