LAGOS, June 17 -- Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has become an unlikely internet sensation after football fans around the world flooded social media with comments about his appearance following Nigeria's friendly defeat to Portugal.

According to Yahoo! Sports, the 25-year-old shot-stopper began trending online after television cameras focused on the Nigerian team during the pre-match presentation ahead of Thursday's 2-1 loss to Portugal.

The attention quickly spread across social media platforms, with many users praising Okoye's looks and sharing clips and images of the goalkeeper.

One post highlighting his sudden rise in popularity generated millions of views and tens of thousands of interactions, prompting a wave of humorous reactio...