Soccer
Nigeria international Maduka Okoye came close to landing one of the biggest individual prizes in Italian football after narrowly missing out on the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year award, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Udinese shot-stopper enjoyed an impressive campaign in Italy, but the award eventually went to AS Roma’s Mile Svilar after another outstanding season in Rome.
Serie A officially confirmed the winner during the announcement of the league’s seasonal MVP awards. Svilar’s triumph also saw him achieve a rare feat by winning the award in consecutive seasons after previously claiming it during the 2024-25 campaign.
The Roma goalkeeper was rewarded for his remarkable consistency throughout the season. Svilar produced a league-leading 77 percent save rate and finished the campaign with 17 clean sheets in 37 league matches. His performances played a major role in helping Roma remain one of the strongest defensive sides in the division.
The award also continued an impressive recent trend of elite goalkeepers dominating the honour. Before Svilar’s back-to-back wins, the prize had gone to Yann Sommer of Inter Milan, Ivan Provedel of Lazio, and Mike Maignan of AC Milan in previous years.
Although Okoye did not win the main prize, the Nigerian goalkeeper still earned huge praise across Italy for his performances with Udinese. The former Watford keeper established himself as one of the league’s most reliable goalkeepers during what many observers described as his breakthrough Serie A season.
He kept 10 clean sheets in 29 appearances and became a key figure in Udinese’s push for stability in the middle of the table. Okoye also produced several standout displays against some of the division’s biggest clubs, including a memorable performance against AC Milan that earned him a place in the Serie A Team of the Week.
Interestingly Okoye and his Udinese coach Runjaic were nominated for Player and Coach of the Month awards for May. However, the Super Eagles goalie was beaten to the honour by Inter forward Lautaro Martinez while the German tactician clinched the gong in his category.
Soccer Why Svilar finished ahead of Okoye
The biggest difference between both goalkeepers came down to efficiency and volume.
While Okoye recorded a respectable 70.9 percent save rate, Svilar’s numbers reached an elite level at 77 percent. The Roma goalkeeper also played more matches and faced a heavier workload over the course of the season.
Okoye conceded 26 goals in 29 league matches and averaged less than one goal conceded per game at 0.93. Svilar, meanwhile, allowed 31 goals in 37 appearances with a slightly better average of 0.84 goals conceded every 90 minutes.
The Nigerian also operated behind a less dominant defence than the one in front of Svilar at Roma. Udinese regularly depended on Okoye’s reflexes to survive difficult moments during matches, with the goalkeeper facing an average of more than three shots on target per game.
While he may have missed the number one gloves award, Okoye’s performances have caught the attention of Europe’s bigwigs.
Fresh from winning the Serie A title, Inter Milan are now being linked with a possible move for Okoye as they search for a long-term successor to Sommer. Reports in Italy suggest Inter could be willing to spend close to €30 million for the Super Eagles goalkeeper.
However, any deal may prove difficult because Okoye recently signed a contract extension with Udinese that runs until June 2028. Udinese manager Kosta Runjaic reportedly sees the Nigerian as one of the most important players in his squad, meaning the club are unlikely to let him leave cheaply.
Even without the award, Okoye’s season has significantly raised his profile in Italian football. Missing out to Svilar may be disappointing, but his performances for Udinese have firmly placed him among the top goalkeepers currently playing in Serie A.
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