Who Is Maduka Okoye? Meet The Nigerian Footballer Spotted On Dates With Rapper Cardi B

Cardi B has been spotted again with Nigerian goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, this time over dinner in Venice, Italy, as the dating rumours around the pair continue to gather pace.

The latest sighting, reported on 19 July, came after the rapper and the Udinese player were first seen together in Paris earlier in the month, putting Okoye firmly in the crosshairs of celebrity gossip watchers.

Who Is Maduka Okoye?

Maduka Okoye is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Udinese and the Nigeria national team. He was born in Düsseldorf in 1999 to a Nigerian father and a German mother, and built his career in Europe before moving to Italy.

In case you missed it, Okoye was already a familiar name in football circles long before his name started turning up beside Cardi B's.

He came through the youth system at Bayer Leverkusen, moved to Fortuna Düsseldorf, and later established himself at Sparta Rotterdam before spells with Watford and then Udinese. That is the football part. The celebrity part, naturally, is a bit messier.

Initial reports have noted that Cardi and Okoye were seen at Gio's restaurant inside the St. Regis Venice with several other men.

There was no public display of affection, according to the outlet, but they appeared comfortable together during the meal overlooking one of Venice's canals. It was also said the group later watched fireworks from the hotel after dinner.

Why The Cardi B Dating Buzz Grew

The news came after the pair were already photographed together in Paris during Haute Couture Fashion Week earlier in July. It was reported that they were seen chatting and laughing on a terrace, then later seated side by side at the Jean Paul Gaultier show, where Okoye was spotted helping Cardi into her seat before the presentation began.

That is the sort of detail that sends social media into overdrive, because it looks intimate without actually confirming anything. And that is where the story sits now. Nothing is confirmed yet, so everything should be taken with a grain of salt.

Neither Cardi B nor Okoye has publicly addressed the dating speculation, and there is no verified evidence that the pair are romantically involved.

Cardi has, however, spoken before about the constant scrutiny around her private life. In an Instagram Story, she said, 'I'm really hip-hop's Britney Spears.'

She also complained about how people obsess over celebrity relationships, though the language she used was far less polished than that. The point landed, though. Her private life is never really private for long.

Okoye's Career And Public Profile

Okoye's football background gives the Venice story a bit more weight than a random sighting with an unknown face in the frame. He has played for Nigeria at senior level since 2019 and joined Udinese in 2023, becoming one of the more recognisable Nigerian players in Serie A.

He was also named in Nigeria's 28-man squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, according to BBC News Pidgin's report of the Nigerian Football Federation's squad announcement.

There is also a more complicated footnote in his career. In July 2025, Okoye was suspended for two months by the Italian Football Federation after allegations linked to a match against Lazio in 2024, with reports saying he was found to have breached fairness standards while being cleared of intent to fix the match itself.

That story is separate from the Venice buzz, but it remains part of the public record and part of why his name still attracts attention beyond the pitch.

For now, the only confirmed thing about the Cardi B and Maduka Okoye story is that they keep being seen together, in glamorous places, looking very much like people who know they are being watched.

Whether that becomes romance or just another strange little celebrity footnote is still anybody's guess. And, frankly, that is the whole mad game.