“Rohr influenced my switch to Super Eagles – Okoye”

By Ekemini Samuel

Posted on July 23, 2024

Nigerian goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has revealed that former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr played a crucial role in his decision to represent Nigeria over Germany at the international level. Okoye, who was born in Germany to a Nigerian father and German mother, had the option to play for either country but chose to represent Nigeria.

In an interview with Tribal Football, Okoye expressed his gratitude to Rohr for giving him the opportunity to achieve his childhood dream of playing for the Super Eagles. Okoye made his debut for Nigeria under Rohr in 2019 at just 20 years old, coming on as a substitute in a 1-1 draw against Brazil.

Okoye credited Lutz Pfannenstiel, former managing director of sports at Fortuna Düsseldorf, for connecting him with Rohr, which ultimately led to his switch to Nigeria. “Lutz Pfannenstiel played a big part in that. He was in good contact with Nigeria’s former coach Gernot Rohr; he opened that door for me,” Okoye said.

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Okoye also praised Rohr for the opportunities he gave him during his time as Super Eagles coach. “With Rohr, I had a fantastic coach in my early years as a Super Eagle, I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunities he gave me in that time,” he said.

Okoye was once Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper during the era of Rohr.He has also seen his club career flourish, playing for Sparta Rotterdam, Watford, and now Udinese.

Okoye hasn’t featured for Nigeria since committing a howler in a round-of-16 clash against Tunisia at the 2021 AFCON which led to the country’s exit from the tournament.

Speaking to the Udinese official website in an interview in February, Okoye had expressed his desire to return to the Super Eagles squad after a long absence.

“I’m very well now. I feel 100 per cent. The national team is an important thing for me and I want to return as soon as possible,” Okoye said to Udinese’s official webpage