Ademola Lookman will lead Nigeria’s search for honours at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards on Monday in Marrakech, Morocco.
The Atalanta forward is in line to be named CAF Player of the Year for 2024 after a spectacular season that included a record hat-trick in the Europa League final.
Last year, Lookman’s countrymen Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala won the men’s and women’s CAF championships.
The CAF announced the final shortlist for the men’s prize for this year, stating that it was a difficult call, resulting in the inability to narrow the list to three.
Lookman will face South Africa’s Ronwen Williams, Cote d’Ivoire’s Simon Adingra, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi for Africa’s best individual football award.
However, on Monday in Morocco, the Atalanta player is expected to dethrone his compatriot Osimhen. Statistics say it all! Lookman was an inspirational figure for Nigeria during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), scoring three goals and providing two assists in seven games as the Super Eagles finished second. He scored twice in the last 16 against Cameroon before winning the quarterfinal against Angola.
His achievements in Cote d’Ivoire won him a spot on the tournament team, nearly two years after switching allegiance from England to Nigeria. Lookman followed up his AFCON performance with a historic hat-trick when Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final, ending the German side’s perfect season and bringing his team their second major title since 1963.
This season, the winger has 11 goals and five assists in 18 games in all competitions for his Italian club. Lookman has also performed admirably for the Super Eagles since the AFCON. He helped the team qualify for AFCON 2025, scoring two goals.
During that qualification series, two of his goals were disallowed due to questionable circumstances.
The 27-year-old was the only African on the Ballon d’Or shortlist this year, finishing in an amazing 14th place.
Lookman won’t be the only Nigerian competing for accolades in Morocco. In the women’s category, the soft-spoken Chiamaka Nnadozie will look to reclaim the Player of the Year trophy, which Oshoala won six times. However, she confronts heavy opposition in the form of Zambian Barbra Banda and Moroccan Sanâa Mssoudy.
Nnadozie, a major role for French club Paris FC, helped Nigeria qualify for the Olympics after a 16-year absence. The Super Falcon is also a favourite to retain the Keeper of the Year title. She competes against Andile Dlamini of South Africa and Khadija Er-Rmichi of Morocco.
Chiamaka Okwuchukwu of the Falconets completes Nigeria’s trio of individual prize finalists for the 2024 CAF Awards. She made the final shortlist for Young Player of the Year (women) after leading Nigeria to the last eight of this year’s U-20 World Cup in Colombia.
Okwuchukwu was also part of the Nigerian side that advanced to the Africa Games final.
The Super Eagles and Falcons were nominated for men’s and women’s team of the year, respectively. South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire are competitors for the former, while Morocco, South Africa, Zambia, and the Cameroon U-20 teams are among the latter.
Edo Queens, who advanced to the semi-finals of the CAF Women’s Champions League in their maiden season, were also named Women’s Club of the Year.
As the world waits for the 2024 CAF Awards ceremony, all eyes will be on Lookman to lead his country to glory in the historic Moroccan city of Marrakech.
