Nigerian born footballer and Italy-based striker, Ademola Lookma, has emerged as the African footballer of the year 2024.
This much was announced by the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) at the award ceremony held on Monday night and on the CAF YouTube official page.
This year, five players on both the men’s and women’s sides are vying to be named the best football star from Africa in 2024.
Last year’s holder Victor Osimhen and 2022 winner Mohamed Salah were not named to the final shortlist.
The nominees are Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast / Brighton), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea / Borussia Dortmund), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / PSG), Ademola Lookman (Nigeria / Atalanta), Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns). But Ademola Lukman was selected as the best-performing player from the African continent.
Another Nigeria, 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐍𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐳𝐢𝐞 was also crowned as Africa Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year while the Nigerian Super Falcons was declared as Women Football Team of the year by CAF.
In October, Lookman was also ranked 14th in the 2024 Ballon d’Or standings.
This was announced in Paris, France by the Ballon d’Or organiser.
The Nigerian international, who plays in Serie A for Atalanta, received his first nomination for the prestigious award.
The 27-year-old forward delivered standout performances that placed him in the global spotlight. Following impressive contributions for both club and country, Lookman has been recognised as one of the top football talents this year.