Super Eagles and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman was named the 2024 African Player of the Year at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards at the Palais des Congrès in Morocco.
Lookman, 27, succeeded Nigerian teammate Victor Osimhen, marking him as the sixth Nigerian to win the prestigious honor.
The win comes after a stellar season that saw him lead Atalanta to their first-ever UEFA Europa League title with a historic hat-trick in the final, followed by an impressive performance for the Super Eagles at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where he netted three goals and provided an assist on the road to the final.
The award was contested fiercely, with Achraf Hakimi (Morocco and PSG), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea and Borussia Dortmund), Simon Adingra (Cote d’Ivoire and Brighton), and Ronwen Williams (South Africa and Mamelodi Sundowns) all in the running.
However, Lookman’s outstanding individual performances, combined with his contributions to both his club and national team, earned him the nod as the best African footballer of 2024.
He joins a select list of Nigerian legends who have been crowned African Player of the Year, including Rashidi Yekini, Emmanuel Amuneke, Nwankwo Kanu, Victor Ikpeba, and Victor Osimhen.
The night also saw other notable winners, including Barbara Banda of Zambia, who was named African Women’s Player of the Year, and Cristovao Mabululu from Angola, whose stunning goal against Namibia in AFCON 2023 earned him the CAF Goal of the Year award.
Among the top honors, Cote d’Ivoire’s Emersae Fae was named Men’s Coach of the Year, while Lamia Boumendi of Congo’s TP Mazembe took home the Women’s Coach of the Year award.
The Goalkeeper of the Year awards went to Ronwen Williams (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns) for the men and Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria, PSG) for the women.
Other key awards included Al Ahly (Egypt) as Men’s Club of the Year, TP Mazembe as Women’s Club of the Year, and Cote d’Ivoire as Men’s National Team of the Year, while Nigeria’s Women’s National Team took home the Women’s National Team of the Year award.
Full list of CAF Award 2024 winners
- Player of di Year Men – Ademola Lookman (Nigeria)
- Player of di Year Women – Barbara Banda (Zambia)
- Goal of di Year – Mabululu (Angola)
- Coach of di Year Men – Emersae Fae (Cote d’ivoire)
- Coach of di Year Women – Lamia Boumendi (TP Mazembe, Congo)
- Goalkeeper of di Year Men – Ronwen Williams (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns)
- Goalkeeper of di Year Women – Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria, PSG)
- Interclub Player of di Year Women – Sanaa Mssoudy (ASFAR, Morocco)
- Interclub Player of di Year Men – Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa)
- Club of di Year Men – Al Ahly (Egypt)
- Club of di Year Women – TP Mazembe
- National Team of di Year Men – Cote d’Ivoire
- National Team of di Year Women – Nigeria
- Young Player of di Year Men – Lamine Camara (Senegal)
- Young Player of di Year Award Women – Doha El Madani (Morocco)
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