2024 CAF Awards: Ademola Lookman becomes the sixth Nigerian player in history to be crowned African Footballer of the Year
Posted by Ahmed Iyanda | 2 months ago | 273 times
Ademola Lookman has been crowned the 2024 African Footballer of the Year, becoming the sixth Nigerian player in history to win the prestigious award.
The 27-year-old was announced the winner of the gong at the gala held in Marrakesh, Morocco, on Monday.
The Atalanta star won the prize ahead of Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra and PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy and South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
In the 2023–24 season, Ademola recorded 17 goals and 10 assists in 45 games for Atalanta. His form has carried over into this season, with 11 goals in 19 games as Atalanta currently lead Serie A by two points ahead of Napoli.
Lookman’s exceptional performances earned him a historic 14th-place finish in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings, adding to his accolades.
This triumph makes Lookman the latest Nigerian to win the prestigious CAF award, joining legends such as Rashidi Yekini (1993), Emmanuel Amuneke (1994), Nwankwo Kanu (1996 and 1999), Victor Ikpeba (1997), and Victor Osimhen (2023). Nigeria now moves to second place in the all-time Player of the Year count, behind only Ivory Coast, whose six titles were won by Yaya Touré (four) and Didier Drogba (two).
