<p>Agali represented the Green and Whites on twelve occasions, scoring five times, none of which came in a major tournament.</p>
<p>Maduka Okoye, meanwhile, was born in Germany, but made his first appearance for the Super Eagles in 2019 under coach Gernot Rohr.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full”><img decoding=”async” width=”4000″ height=”2672″ src=”https://www.afrik-foot.com/en-ng/thumbor/O07HAVuEzxD0xLjhhHt3mB5-ETc=/4000×2672/smart/filters:format(webp)/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.afrik-foot.com%2Fen-ng%2F2026%2F03%2Fimago1073882358.jpg” alt=”Maduka Okoye plays during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Udinese” class=”wp-image-908219″/><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye. Copyright: xMairoxCinquettix IMAGO</figcaption></figure>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading”>Agali reveals how he scouted Maduka Okoye for the Super Eagles</h2>
<p>While Okoye’s father is Nigerian, the route to representing the three-time African Champions wasn’t an easy one, as Agali explained.</p>
<p>The 47-year-old revealed he was working as a scout after retiring when he saw Okoye in action for Fortuna Düsseldorf’s B side.</p>
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<p>“I was with his father in Düsseldorf; I was in the stadium watching him play for the second team,” Agali said on the <strong><a href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH3v-3MeAYk” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Bet 9ja Home Turf Podcast</a></strong>.</p>
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<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full”><img decoding=”async” width=”2007″ height=”3000″ src=”https://www.afrik-foot.com/en-ng/thumbor/mFDnnLbp-IeRSc2nP6pmCoP-vlY=/2007×3000/smart/filters:format(webp)/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.afrik-foot.com%2Fen-ng%2F2026%2F04%2Fimago1074471275.jpg” alt=”Victor Agali of Nigeria” class=”wp-image-913083″/><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Victor Agali of Nigeria. Copyright: ImagoxAllstarxPicturexLibraryxLtdx</figcaption></figure>
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<p>“At that time, the coach of Fortuna Düsseldorf was my former coach, so I had access and went to watch the game.</p>
<p>“The boy said yes, he would love to play for Nigeria, but not the Super Eagles. He was ready for U17 or U20.</p>
<p>“People had the players they wanted in the team, but I tracked talents across Europe. That’s how we found players like Okoye,” the one-time DFB Pokal winner concluded.</p>
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<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full”><img decoding=”async” width=”5315″ height=”3543″ src=”https://www.afrik-foot.com/en-ng/thumbor/uQv768TcSUcWTbPFvLqaRw2aHzY=/5315×3543/smart/filters:format(webp)/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.afrik-foot.com%2Fen-ng%2F2026%2F03%2Fimago1072039101-1.jpg” alt=”Maduka Okoye, Udinese GK” class=”wp-image-908218″/><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Maduka Okoye, Udinese GK. Copyright: xIPAxSport/IMAGO</figcaption></figure>
<p>Okoye became a mainstay in the Super Eagles team up until the AFCON 2021 tournament, where his error knocked Nigeria out against Tunisia.</p>
<p>The aftermath of the backlash he suffered due to the error forced the goalkeeper to take an extended break from the National team before returning to action in June 2025.</p>