Maduka Okoye has sent a goodbye message to Sparta Rotterdam following the conclusion of the 2021/22 Eredivisie season over the weekend.
Okoye made his final appearance for Sparta on Sunday in a 3-1 victory over Heracles which confirmed the club’s safety in the Dutch topflight.
The young shot-stopper signed a five-and-a-half contract with Watford in January and was loaned back to Sparta for the remainder of the campaign which has now come to an end. Okoye will return to Watford, who were relegated from the Premier League at the start of the next season.
The Nigerian international took to his Instagram page to bid his farewell. He wrote: “What an adventure. What a club. I will miss you but never forget you. This has become family and will remain family until my last breath. Thanks Sparta Rotterdam. See you someday.”
In an interview with Dutch broadcasting organization, RTV Rijnmond, the 22-year-old stated that he would like to return to Sparta before the end of his career. He said:
“I would have preferred to have played here for fifteen years, but I also have to think about myself. I dream of winning the Champions League. My father, my family and I work hard for that. I know it can happen.
“It is never too late to return. As a goalkeeper you can play for a long time. Of course I want to play at the highest level for the next ten to twelve years and win the Champions League one day.
“But in my last years I can already see myself here. Why? It’s a feeling. When I look back on my years here, I get emotional. Nobody knew me when I played at Jong Düsseldorf. Without Sparta I would never have been here now. I really love the club. And from Rotterdam.”
Born in Germany to a Nigerian father and German mother, Okoye played in the youth ranks at Fortuna Düsseldorf before moving to Sparta Rotterdam in the summer of 2020. He made 61 appearances in his two full seasons at the club.
