By Fidel Ozugha
The Confederation of African Football (CAF), has crowned Super Eagles and Atalanta forward dynamo, Ademola Lookman, the 2024 CAF African Footballer of the Year.
Lookman, 27, clinched the prestigious award at a glittering, crowd filled ceremony held at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, Morocco, on Monday.
The Nigerian Super Eagles star edged out tough competition from Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/PSG), Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast/Brighton), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea/Borussia Dortmund), and Ronwen Williams (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns) to claim the prestigious title.
With this victory, Lookman adds his name to the illustrious list of Nigerian football legends who have won the award previously. They are Rashidi Yekini (1993), Emmanuel Amuneke (1994), Nwankwo Kanu (1996 and 1999), Victor Ikpeba (1997), and Victor Osimhen (2023).
This is Nigeria’s sixth triumph in the award’s history, as the Atalanta football star takes over the mantle from Osimhen, the 2023 winner. Lookman has brought honour to both his country, Nigeria and his club, Atalanta.
The spectacular performance that cemented his reputation as one of Europe’s elite forward was delivering a stunning hat-trick for Atalanta in the Europa League final.
In 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament held in Cote d’Ivoire, lookman played a crucial role in the Super Eagles’ journey to a second-place finish by netting three goals during the tournament.
This season, being in his exceptional form, the crowned 2024 African Footballer of the year has scored 11 goals and five assists in 18 appearances across all competitions for Atalanta his club.
Showcasing his quality on the biggest stage, Lookman’s remarkable contributions include a crucial goal against record UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid.
