On Monday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) named Ademola Lookman as African Player of the Year 2024, during the CAF Awards ceremony. With this victory, Nigeria won its 7th African Ballon d’Or title, overtaking Ivory Coast, previously tied with 6 titles.
Officially launched by CAF in 1992, the title of African Player of the Year (often called the African Ballon d’Or) has seen 31 successive editions, with the exception of 2020 and 2021, canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since its debut, 19 different players have had the honor of winning this trophy, and among them, 7 have registered their names several times on the list.
The multiple winners
The Nigerian Nwankwo Kanu, the first double winner in 1999, opened the way to multiple coronations. The Senegalese El-Hadji Diouf was then the first to retain his title in 2000 and 2001. Other glories of African football such as Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Touré, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané also shone in winning the African Golden Ball repeatedly.
the memories
Two players still share the title record: Samuel Eto’o and Yaya Touré, each crowned four times.
Eto’o, first to win three consecutive titles (2003-2005), saw his record surpassed by Yaya Touré, who achieved the unprecedented feat of four consecutive coronations (2011-2014). These performances remain unrivaled references in the history of African football.
The Nigeria-Côte d’Ivoire duel for the most successful country
With 7 titles after the coronation of Ademola Lookman, Nigeria takes the lead in the ranking of the most crowned nations.
Ranking by country:
- Nigeria : 7 titres
- Ivory Coast: 6 titles
- Cameroon: 5 titles
- Senegal: 4 titles
- Egypt: 2 titles
- Ghana, Liberia, Morocco, Mali, Togo, Gabon, Algeria: 1 title
After Rashidi Yekini, Emmanuel Amunike, Nwankwo Kanu (x2), Victor Ikpeba and Victor Osimhen, Lookman thus marked the history of Nigeria by offering his country this 7th star, to the detriment of the Ivory Coastincluding Simon Adingra, despite a successful CAN and his presence among the finalists, was unable to make the difference. Remember that the Elephants are carried in this list by Yaya Touré’s quadruple and Didier Drogba’s double.
A growing list of achievements
Lookman therefore succeeded his compatriot Osimhen, winner in 2023. This new title confirms the current domination of football Nigerian on the continent in terms of individualities, with two consecutive trophies.
The duel between African nations continues, but one thing is certain: Nigeria today stands out as the nation to beat in the quest for the African Ballon d’Or.
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