Goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has expressed gratitude to Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr for giving him the opportunity to play for Nigeria.
Rohr handed Okoye his Super Eagles debut in an international friendly match against Brazil played at the Kallang Stadium in Singapore back in October 2019.
The German-born goalkeeper came on as a second-half substitute for injured Francis Uzoho and went on to help Nigeria recorded a valuable draw against the five-time world champions.
Okoye has since established himself as number one for club and country in the last few months, including featuring in Nigeria’s African Cup qualifiers with Sierra Leone in Benin City and Freetown.
In an interview with Rijnmond.nl, the former Fortuna Düsseldorf said he’s grateful to Rohr for his trust and support over the years.
The 21-year-old also thanked his coach at Sparta Rotherham coach Henk Fraser, for giving him opportunity to show what he can do.
“Both are great guys. I know Rohr a bit longer and will always be grateful to him for giving my career a big lift. I was in goal against Brazil in a friendly game and since then my stocks have risen.” he said.
Okoye went on to name the Franco-German manager as the best coach he has worked with so far in his career.
Since his debut in 2019, Okoye has featured in four matches for the Super Eagles of Nigeria, with four of them coming in 2020.
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