Maduka Okoye is one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A. He was unable to play football for many years. His path to the top is atypical.
Football fans in Germany only occasionally know the name Maduka Okoye. The German-Nigerian, who grew up in Düsseldorf, is the regular goalkeeper in one of the best leagues in the world. Okoye is number one at Udinese Calcio without having played a single minute in the Bundesliga.
His path led via the Netherlands and England to Italy, where he made a name for himself. Early in his career it didn’t look as if Okoye would become a professional. Because as a teenager he broke his kneecap. What followed was a challenging time that could have led him down the wrong path.
t-online: Mr. Okoye, as a teenager you had to take a break from football for four years. Today you are in goal at the San Siro in Milan or the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Would you have thought that?
Maduka Okoye: The funny thing is that in these four years I never had the feeling that it couldn’t work out. I don’t know where that comes from. But somehow, subconsciously, I was sure that I would go my own way. And I had huge support from my parents. Winning at San Siro in April was very special.
You come from a difficult area in Düsseldorf-Oberbilk. Some people around you have also gotten on the wrong track. That could have happened to you in these four years, right?
Yes definitely. When I was injured I was around 14, 15 years old. This is exactly the time when many have decided where they want to go. That was a risky time for me. But, thank God, I passed the test and stayed on the straight path. I’ve seen a lot of guys unfortunately go the other way. Guys who were incredible kickers. This also includes my brother, who was a top player. The line between right and wrong was very thin for us back then.
What stopped you from taking the wrong path?
I was lucky enough to be the little brother of a senior guy in the area who always had to be looked after. I was never allowed to come into contact with drugs, cigarettes or alcohol. That’s why I was protected by the elders.
You once said that the former Bundesliga goalkeeper Mohamed Amsif was your uncle and also played a formative role.
That’s what we call uncle (laughs). The older ones in Oberbilk were our uncles. He was the first person from our area to do it back then. Was Manuel Neuer’s substitute goalkeeper at Schalke and played in the Bundesliga. Amsif had a big influence on us kids because he showed us: You can do it, even if you grow up behind the train station.