A year after a Nigerian won the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Men’s player of the year, another Nigerian has retained the award.
Victor Osimehn had won the African Player of the year for 2023, after a successful season at Napoli in Italy, where he was the league’s top scorer, helping the team clinch the Serie A league title after a long time.
Ademola Lookman was without doubts the favorite for the Africa’s men player award for 2024, having had a fantastic season with Atlanta FC, helping them win the 2023 Europa league title, where he scored a hat-trick against the unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen.
He made 18 goal contributions last season, and 16 so far this season, and was named Atlanta’s player of the 2023/2024 season.
He is the first Player to score a hat-trick in a UEFA Europa League Final, and was also named as the Man of the Match. He was included in the AFCON Team of the Tournament and UEFA Europa League Team of the Season. Lookman has also won six Man of Matches in a span of Four months.
This season, the Nigerian winger has continued to be of great impact in the Atlanta team and the Super eagles team where he scored twice with an assist in the last match against the Republic of Benin. He was the only African player to be nominated in the last Ballon d’Or and finished 14th in the rankings.
With his skillful and willful take-ons, the English-born player who had chosen to play for Nigeria when there was option to join The Three Lions team has been impressing not only the Atlanta fans, but football fans around the world.
In his last Champions league appearance against Real Madrid, before the CAF Awards ceremony, he won the Man of the Match, although his team lost to Spanish Giants in a match that was nearly tied.
Ademola Lookman beat six other contenders to the African Best Men Player of the year, that is a back to back win for Nigeria, and being the sixth Nigerian to win the award. Among the contenders were Achraf Hakimi of Morocco, Simon Adingra of Ivory Coast, Serhou Guirassy of Guinea, and Ronwen Williams of South Africa.
The Nigerian Women Football team, the Super Falcons, won the team of the year 2024 for a second consecutive year.
The Super Falcons goal keeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie also claimed the Women’s Goal keeper of the year.
Zambia’s Barbra Banda won the African Women Footballer of the year, taking the crown from Nigeria’s Asisat Oshiola who won it last year alongside Osimehn.
Ademola Lookman for the ceremony wore a green agbada with a Yoruba traditional cap. During his speech after receiving the award which was presented to him by the FIFA president, he spoke some Yoruba he prolly must have rehearsed.
Watch video below:
