'How I found Okoye' – Ex-Super Eagles star reveals how he discovered Maduka for Nigeria

Former Super Eagles striker Victor Agali has opened up on how he played a key role in bringing Maduka Okoye into Nigeria’s national team setup, revealing that the goalkeeper initially aimed for youth-level football rather than an immediate Super Eagles call-up.

At the time, Nigeria were searching for solutions following the sudden retirement of Carl Ikeme due to illness.

Then-head coach Gernot Rohr was actively scouting for new options, and Agali, working as a national team scout, stepped in with a recommendation.

Agali recounted how he spotted Okoye while monitoring players in Germany, where the goalkeeper was playing for Fortuna Düsseldorf II.

He said, “I was with his father in Düsseldorf; I was in the stadium watching him play for the second team.

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

Fluent in German, Agali struck up a conversation with Okoye and his father after the match.

Interestingly, Okoye did not immediately envision himself in the senior national team.

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

Agali emphasised the importance of scouting networks and personal connections in discovering dual-national talents.

“People had the players they wanted in the team, but I tracked talents across Europe. That’s how we found players like Okoye.”

Agali informed Gernot Rohr about the young goalkeeper, prompting the German coach to make contact.

Okoye was called up for Nigeria’s U23 side in 2019 and made his senior debut against Brazil in October 2019 after replacing an injured Francis Uzoho.