Fortuna Dusseldorf of Germany goalkeeper, Emil Maduka Okoye has confessed that he is delighted with the opportunity he has of representing Nigeria at full senior national team level, as he admits he never thought he would be a top shot-stopper when he started out in the round leather game, megasportsarena.com reports.
The Germany-born keeper, who got his Nigeria debut in a high-profile international friendly against Brazil last October in Singapore, recalled that he actually started out as a striker, hence his happiness at the turnaround that has shot him up into the class of an international netminder.
He admitted down the line that various training techniques and sessions he has been through at various levels with his club have opened him up to the basics and needs of being a world class keeper, which Maduka says he is equally happy to have gained over the years.
The indigene of Enugu State declared that he now wants to be part of the Eagles’ mainframe for a long haul and hopes he will be able to help the squad win a horde of trophies as their first choice in goal along the way, even as he recalled how he started football as a forward.
He also revealed that his ascent into the Nigerian national team has opened more doors of opportunities for him, as he is now under consideration for a summer transfer to a top-flight club next season, even if means stepping out of Germany for the first time, in order to gain additional experience from playing regularly for a team in one of Europe’s elite divisions.
Considering that he actually started as forward seeking to net goals, instead of trying to stop them as he is now doing as a keeper, Okoye admits he never thought he would get this far when he decided to switch roles at the early stage of his professional career.
Okoye told the national team’s media unit: “I started football at a young age but then I was a forward. It shocks me that I now excel and I am making gradual progress in the goalkeeping role. It is an interesting role and I have learnt a lot to even have a chance with the Super Eagles.
“Playing for the Super Eagles has been a good step for my career, my club are arranging for me to go on loan to a club in the Netherlands Eredivisie next season to get premiership experience.”
