‘It’s a true art form’: Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye on high fashion and life at Udinese
Nigeria and Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has spoken about his growing profile in high fashion, following a viral appearance at Paris fashion week's Jean Paul Gaultier show alongside Cardi B. He insists his off-field interests, including a near two-million-strong social media following, remain entirely separate from his football career, which he treats as his true priority.
Okoye described his first encounter with high fashion as fascinating, calling it "a true art form", and said he has become a bigger fan of it since. He contrasted the buzz of Paris with the calm of Udine, where he has settled after previous spells at Sparta Rotterdam and Watford, saying the quieter setting helps him focus fully on his goalkeeping, in which he has established himself as a first-choice presence for Udinese.
- Okoye discusses his viral Paris fashion week appearance with Cardi B
- He keeps his fashion interests strictly separate from football
- Prefers Udine's calm over city life to focus on goalkeeping
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Nigeria's Maduka Okoye plays as a goalkeeper for Udinese in Italy's top football division, Serie A, having previously played for Sparta Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Watford in England. He has also built a large following outside football through his interest in fashion, recently drawing attention for attending a Paris fashion week show alongside the American rapper Cardi B.
The story looks at how Okoye balances these two sides of his public life: a growing profile in the fashion world, and his day job as a first-choice goalkeeper for his club and country. It matters as an example of how modern athletes increasingly build identities and followings beyond their sport, while still needing to protect their on-field performance and focus.
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