Lookman leaves two Beninoise players in his wake in the AFCON 2025 qualifier in Uyo, in which he netted a brace.
All things being equal, Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman should be crowned the African Player of the Year at Monday evening’s 2024 CAF Awards at the Palais des Congrés in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.
His three goals and two assists were pivotal to Nigeria reaching their eighth Africa Cup of Nations Final in Cote d’Ivoire in February, and his hat-trick in a 3-0 win handed Italian side, Atalanta FC the UEFA Europa Cup at the expense of hitherto-rampaging German side, Bayer Leverkusen in May.
This season, he has notched 11 goals and five assists in 18 appearances in all competitions for Atalanta (including a goal against record winners Real Madrid FC in the UEFA Champions League), and scored two goals as Nigeria qualified for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations finals, with two other goals controversially chalked off.
None of the four other final nominees comes close. Ivorian Simon Adingra, whose remarkable second-half performance saw the Elephants overcome Nigeria in the AFCON Final in Abidjan on 11 February, cannot point to such a glittering record with English Premier League club, Brighton.
Incidentally, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire appear to always run neck-and-neck in continental titles.
Both countries have three AFCON titles each, and have scooped the Men’s Player of the Year title six times since the awards were taken over by CAF in 1992.
Cameroon lead with 11 titles (including Samuel Eto’O’s quadruple) dating back to 1970 when France Football first organized the awards, while Ghana have five (including Abedi Pele’s treble).
Victory for Nigeria on Monday evening will see the country become stand-alone number two, with previous winners being Rashidi Yekini (1993), Emmanuel Amuneke (1994), Nwankwo Kanu (1996 and 1999), Victor Ikpeba (1997) and Victor Osimhen (2023). It will also mean Lookman taking over from fellow Nigeria striker Osimhen.
Cote d’Ivoire’s six have been won by Yaya Toure (quadruple) and Didier Drogba (double).
Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, who notched a number of magnificent goals in the 2025 AFCON qualifying campaign, failed to steer Guinea to the AFCON finals, and has not pulled up too many trees with Borussia Dortmund in Germany this season.
South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has better chances in the goalkeeper of the year category, which he contests with Cameroon’s Andre Onana and Ivorian Yahia Fofana. Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi can hardly stake a claim.
