'I'm happy Rohr chose me' - Sparta Rotterdam's Okoye reacts to being selected as Eagles No. 1

Published: March 24, 2021

Sparta Rotterdam rookie goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has reacted to being installed as the Super Eagles first choice goalkeeper ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches.

With only 21 top-flight games under his belt as a professional, the German-born glovesman has gotten the nod over seasoned campaigners Daniel Akpeyi, Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Francis Uzoho, who was in goal for the Super Eagles at the 2018 World Cup.

Reacting to the news that he is Nigeria's number one goalkeeper, Okoye said : "I was very delighted and honored because representing this beautiful country as the number one goalkeeper is something special.

"I am happy that Gernot Rohr chose me and I am going to pay back with good performance."

Okoye was not in the good books of Super Eagles fans after a schoolboy performance that saw him concede four goals on matchday three of the AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone, but he hopes to make amends and wants to prove he's the right candidate to be the country's number one.

"The performance has to be good, the best has to be a clean sheet of course. I am going to work hard and prepare good for the matches."

Last summer, Okoye swapped Fortuna Düsseldorf for Sparta Rotterdam in order to play regular first team football and it's a decision he has not regretted.

"It's a great experience and I think it was a good step in my career, I am catching up now I'm playing a lot of good games against big teams like Ajax and PSV," he said.

The 21-year-old Okoye has kept seven clean sheets in this season's Dutch Eredivisie while conceding 29 goals and has helped Sparta Rotterdam remain unbeaten in their last four league games.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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