How I scouted Maduka Okoye for Nigeria – Ex-Super Eagles star reveals

Former Super Eagles striker Victor Agali has lifted the lid on how he helped bring Maduka Okoye into the Nigerian national team setup.

The ex-forward revealed that the goalkeeper was initially hesitant about a direct jump to the senior team despite Nigeria’s need for options.

Agali explained that his role as a scout involved identifying eligible players across Europe, and it was during one of those trips that he first spotted Okoye in action. At the time, the goalkeeper was playing for Fortuna Düsseldorf II, far from the spotlight of top-flight football.

“When I was a Super Eagles scout, people had their players that they wanted to come into the Super Eagles. I scouted Maduka Okoye. I was with his father in Düsseldorf; I was in the stadium watching him keep for the second team in Germany,” Agali said.

Agali’s connections also played a role, as he had previously worked with the club’s coach during his playing days. After the match, he approached Okoye and his family to discuss the possibility of representing Nigeria.

“The father said I should speak to him, and the boy (Maduka) said yes, he would love to, but not the Super Eagles. The boy didn’t say Super Eagles. He was young; U17 and U20, he was ready.”

At the time, Nigeria were searching for solutions in goal following the retirement of Carl Ikeme, prompting then-head coach Gernot Rohr to explore new options.

Agali relayed Okoye’s situation to Rohr, who made it clear that regular top-flight football would be necessary before a senior call-up.

“I spoke to Gernot about it, that there was a young goalkeeper at Fortuna Düsseldorf’s second team. Gernot then reached out to the coach, spoke with the boy: 'Listen, I cannot bring you in if you are not playing in the top flight', so the boy was loaned to a top-flight club in the Netherlands.”

Despite initially targeting youth-level involvement, Okoye’s rise was swift. After being included in the Olympic squad for qualifiers, he eventually made his senior debut in October 2019 against Brazil, coming on for the injured Francis Uzoho.

He later became cap-tied to Nigeria after featuring in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone national football team in November 2020, and has now played 16 times for the Super Eagles.