Nigerian Ademola Lookman crowned best African player of the year

Nigerian striker Ademola Lookman, star of Atalanta Bergamo, was named best African player of the year 2024 by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Monday December 16 evening in Marrakech.

Ademola Lookman won the Europa League in May by scoring a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the final (3-0), the first European title in the history of the Italian club. He was also a finalist in the Italian Cup and the 2024 UEFA Super Cup. His club is currently top of the Italian league and remains on a ten-game winning streak. The 27-year-old also took his team to the final of the last African Cup of Nations (CAN), scoring two goals in the round of 16 against Cameroon (2-0) and a goal in the quarter-final. against Angola (1-0).

“I want to say to all the young children and all the people watching [cette cérémonie] : don’t let your failures weigh you down, break your wings, but transform your pain into power and keep flying”said Ademola Lookman upon receiving her award. The Nigerian player was chosen from a list of five nominees which also included Moroccan full-back Achraf Hakimi, Ivorian winger Simon Adringa, Guinean striker Serhou Guirassy and South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who was named best goalkeeper. He succeeds his compatriot Victor Osimhen, who won the prize last year.

The title of best player in Africa went to Zambian striker Barbra Banda, 24, who plays for the American club Pride in Orlando. The captain of the Zambia team was excluded from the women’s CAN in 2022 due to “gender checks” but was present at the Women’s World Cup in 2023 and at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. “It was never easy for me to get to this point […] but I believe the best is yet to come”declared the player.

Ivorian coach Emerse Faé won the title of African coach of the year after achieving the feat of lifting the Ivory Coast Elephants to the roof of Africa by winning the CAN 2024.