Nigeria and Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has been nominated for the Serie A Player of the Month award for May following his impressive performances this season.
The Nigerian shot-stopper has kept 10 clean sheets for Udinese this campaign, a remarkable achievement for a club that has often battled in the lower half of the table in recent years.
Okoye has been one of Udinese’s standout performers, producing crucial saves, showing great confidence between the posts, and providing a commanding presence in goal throughout the season.
His contributions have played a major role in helping Udinese avoid relegation worries and climb to 10th position in the Serie A standings.
The nomination is a deserved recognition for the goalkeeper, whose consistency and hard work have not gone unnoticed in Italy.
Many observers believe keeping 10 clean sheets for a team like Udinese highlights just how exceptional Okoye has been this season.
The focus now will also be on translating that excellent club form to the Super Eagles, where fans will hope to see the goalkeeper deliver the same level of performances on the international stage.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
