According to PUNCH Sports Extra, Nigeria’s top goalkeepers, Chiamaka Nnadozie and Maduka Okoye, finished their European club seasons on a high note and received significant individual praise for their outstanding performances for Brighton & Hove Albion Women and Udinese, respectively.
Nnadozie, the goalie for the Super Falcons, had an incredible debut season in the English Women’s Super League and was named to WhoScored.com’s Team of the Season.
After moving from Paris FC to Brighton last summer, the 25-year-old made an impression with six clean sheets in 19 league games as the team finished seventh in the rankings.
After an exceptional statistical campaign in which she had an average rating of 6.87, made 44 saves from inside the box and 18 from outside, while giving up 21 goals, she was included in the best XI.
With six players, league winners Manchester City dominated the list, although Nnadozie’s consistency made her one of the best goalkeepers outside of the league’s typical top teams.
Brighton, Aston Villa, and Chelsea each contributed one player to the starting lineup, while Arsenal had two.
Nnadozie will now focus on the Women’s FA Cup final against City at Wembley on May 31, when she has the opportunity to top off her outstanding campaign with hardware, after receiving praise for a strong first season in England.
Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, who was voted Udinese’s Player of the Month for May, also had a stellar season finale in Italy.
The 26-year-old, who made 29 games and gave up 31 goals in a season that also saw him accomplish a personal milestone, reestablished himself as the Serie A team’s first choice.
In one of the top five leagues in Europe, Okoye became the first Nigerian custodian to record ten or more clean sheets since Vincent Enyeama in 2016.
His May award came after a string of impressive performances, including two clean sheets in Udinese’s earlier-month triumphs.
Okoye made three stops in a hectic performance, despite the team’s narrow 1-0 loss to Cremonese in their penultimate match.
The Nigerian goalkeeper has already been rewarded for what has been a breakthrough season that solidified his status as a crucial member of the Italian team. Udinese will play their final game of the season away at Napoli.
Nigeria’s expanding impact in goalkeeping roles around Europe is highlighted by the accomplishments of both Nnadozie and Okoye, who continue to elevate their profiles ahead of their international assignments with the Super Falcons and Super Eagles, respectively.
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