Nnadozie, Okoye Earn Top Honours After Outstanding European Seasons
Nigeria’s leading goalkeepers, Chiamaka Nnadozie and Maduka Okoye, have capped impressive European campaigns with major individual accolades for Brighton & Hove Albion Women and Udinese respectively, DTOWNCRIER Sports Extra reports.
Nnadozie enjoyed a remarkable debut season in the English Women’s Super League after joining Brighton from Paris FC last summer. The Super Falcons goalkeeper was named in WhoScored.com’s Team of the Season following a string of consistent displays.
She kept six clean sheets in 19 league appearances, helping Brighton finish seventh. The 25-year-old recorded an average rating of 6.87, made 44 saves from inside the box and 18 from distance, and conceded 21 goals. Her performances stood out in a league dominated by Manchester City, who had six players in the XI, while Arsenal contributed two and Brighton, Aston Villa, and Chelsea each had one representative.
Nnadozie will now aim to end her season with silverware when Brighton face Manchester City in the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley on May 31.
In Italy, Maduka Okoye also ended his season on a high after being named Udinese’s Player of the Month for May. The Super Eagles goalkeeper reclaimed his starting role, making 29 appearances and conceding 31 goals.
He also reached a milestone by becoming the first Nigerian goalkeeper since Vincent Enyeama in 2016 to record 10 or more clean sheets in a single season in Europe’s top five leagues. His strong May performances included two clean sheets and a standout display despite a 1-0 loss to Cremonese, where he made three saves.
Udinese have one remaining league match away to Napoli, but Okoye’s performances have already cemented his importance to the team.
Together, Nnadozie and Okoye’s achievements highlight Nigeria’s growing influence in elite European goalkeeping.
