Lookman Wins 2024 CAF Men’s Player Of The Year Award

Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Atalanta star forward Ademola Lookman has been named the 2024 CAF Men’s Player of the Year award winner.

Lookman was named winner at the 2024 CAF Awards in Marrakech, Morocco on Monday.

The forward beat off competition from home boy Achraf Hakimi, Simon Adingra of Côte d’Ivoire, Ronwen Williams of South Africa and Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy.

He succeeds Super Eagles teammate Victor Osimhen who won the award in 2023.

The last time Nigeria produced back-to-back CAF Player of the Year winners was in 1996 and 1997 when Nwanwko Kanu and Victor Ikpeba won the award in respectively.

It has been an outstanding year for Lookman who kicked off 2024 by helping Nigeria reach the AFCON 2023 final, which they lost to Cote d’Ivoire.

Also Read: ‘This Is Something Incredible’ — Lookman Reacts To CAF Men’s Player Of the Year Success

Despite the disappointment of losing in the final, Lookman was named in Team of the Tournament.

He took his impressive form back to Atalanta and helped them to the Coppa Italia final which they lost 1-0 to Juventus.

But it was in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen that Lookman wrote his name in the history books, as he bagged a hat-trick in the 3-0 win against the Bundesliga champions.

It was the first time ever a player would score a hat-trick in the final of Europe’s second-tier club competition.

Following his superb performance, Lookman was nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award and finished 14th. He was the only African who was nominated.

Meanwhile, Zambia’s Barbra Banda finished ahead of Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie to become CAF Women’s Player of the Year award winner.

Nnadozie picked up Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award and the Super Falcons won the Women’s National Team of the Year accolade.

By James Agberebi