Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye is set to receive Udinese’s Player of the Season award for the 2025-2026 campaign at the 26th edition of the Galà del Calcio Triveneto in Vicenza on Monday, October 12.
The award recognises Okoye’s contribution to Udinese during a campaign in which he establishes himself as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper despite missing the beginning of the season through suspension.
The 27-year-old serves a suspension linked to a sporting misconduct case involving allegations that he deliberately received a yellow card during Udinese’s Serie A match against Lazio in the 2023-2024 season.
Once available again, Okoye returns to the starting lineup and goes on to make 30 Serie A appearances during the campaign, keeping 10 clean sheets.
His performances include three consecutive shutouts against Genoa, Como and AC Milan, further underlining his importance to the Udinese defence.
Okoye’s recognition comes despite his limited involvement with the Super Eagles during the same period. He is included in the squad for Nigeria’s back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau but remains on the bench for both matches, with Stanley Nwabali starting ahead of him.
The goalkeeper is not expected to attend Monday’s ceremony, with Udinese Blog reporting that he is likely to be in Turin for Udinese’s Serie A meeting with Torino.
Okoye remains under contract with Udinese until the end of the 2027-2028 season, and the Player of the Season award adds another notable achievement to his time at the Italian club.
