Just after receiving his first African Ball, the Nigerian international gave a speech which certainly struck a chord with the younger generation.
Monday evening, Ademola Lookman (Atalanta) was named African Player of the Yearbetter known as the African Ballon d’Or, for the first time in his career. The attacker Nigerian exceeded the Moroccan Achraf Hakimi (PSG), initially given the winner by the first leaks, the Guinean Serhou Guirassy (Stuttgart/Dortmund), the South African Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns) and the reigning Ivorian African champion Simon Adingra (Brighton).
“Four years ago, I was the laughing stock of the whole world…”
By succeeding his compatriot Victor Osimhen, the 27-year-old takes great revenge for his time at Fulham (2020-2021), where he fell out of favor after missing a penalty in the 98th minute while the Cottagers were trailing 3-2. The person concerned did not fail to emphasize this when he spoke, while motivating the young guard:
“A little over four years ago, I was the laughing stock of the world. Four years later, I am the best player in Africa! Children, believe! Transform your pain into power and keep flying. »
In short, the fruit of resilience for the main person concerned. From now on, it will be about retaining the title. A feat that has not been achieved since Sadio Mané and his consecutive double in 2022 marked by two years of interruption of the CAF Awards – due to Covid-19 – after his first coronation in 2019.
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