Why Ademola Lookman deserves to be 2024 CAF African player of the year

BY ARUKAINO UMUKORO

With the unrelenting stroke of individual brilliance, he turned a supporting role into the main show when the reigning African Footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen, inadvertently converted to a battering ram in the Super Eagles line-up in Cote d’Ivoire.

After a tale of promise foretold, the artist finally emerged, fully formed, with the football pitch as his canvass, at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

With three goals and one assist, he finished AFCON 2023 as one of the highest goal scorers. His all-round impressive performance helped Nigeria to reach the tournament’s final where they lost 2-1 to the hosts.

Ademola Lookman took that hot streak to Europe and his hat trick in the Europa League final earned Gian Piero Gasperini his first trophy as a coach, and Atalanta’s first trophy in 61 years.

He is the first African player to score a hat-trick in the final of a major UEFA competition.

He is only the sixth player to score a hat-trick in a European final, and the first player in almost 50 years.

He single-handedly ended Xabi Alonso’s Invincibles Bayern Leverkusen’s 51-game unbeaten run.

Last season, he scored 17 goals and made 11 assists for Atalanta in all competitions, including five goals in the Europa League, and was deservedly crowned Atalanta’s Player of the Season.

Simply put, the Super Eagles and Atalanta star has been the most impressive African player since January.

A similar argument could be made for Egypt’s Mohammed Salah and Gabon’s striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, among a few others.

Salah had a fantastic 2023/24 season, scoring 18 goals and 10 assists in 32 appearances for Liverpool in the Premier League, while Jurgen Klopp-led Liverpool also won the Carabao Cup, and finished third behind Arsenal and winners, Manchester City.

On a national level, Egypt didn’t go past the Round of 16 in AFCON 2023, losing 8-7 in penalties to DR Congo. Salah registered just a goal and an assist at the tournament.

Similarly, Marseille striker Aubameyang, who was the leading scorer in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League with 10 goals, had a fine season, although his club finished 8th in Ligue 1 and without a trophy.

Nevertheless, neither of them is as instrumental as the Nigerian has been for both club and country. 

While his countryman, defender William Troost-Ekong, was named the best player of AFCON 2023, Lookman would have deserved it too.

Significantly, the 26-year-old is the only African nominee in the 30-man shortlist for the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or awards released last week.

Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, Daniel Amokachi, Finidi George, Kanu Nwankwo, Victor Ikpeba, Sunday Oliseh, and Osimhen are the other Nigerians who made the Ballon d’Or shortlist in the past. Osimhen’s 8th position in 2023 awards is the highest ranking by any Nigerian.

This year’s Ballon d’Or shortlist is a star-studded line-up, with Real Madrid and Manchester City superstars dominating it. Lookman may eventually finish in the Top 10 or Top 20; but this cannot be taken away from him, he has had a stellar 2024.

Born in England and eligible to play for both Nigeria and England, the 26-year-old represented the latter in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2017, which England won, before switching his allegiance to Nigeria in 2022.

He made his debut for the Super Eagles under current interim coach Augustine Eguavoen in a scoreless draw against Ghana in a 2022 FIFA World Cup play-off. It may have been the most important decision of his footballing career.

“To play for Nigeria is an honour first of all and the best decision I ever made. I’m happy I made it.” Lookman stated in an interview.

In May, just after his heroics in the Dublin final, international football journalist and broadcaster, Osasu Obayiuwana agreed that the 26-year-old Nigerian may be in contention for the African Player of the Year award.

Obayiuwana told Africa Interviews, “This has been a really important year for Lookman; not only was he the outstanding player for Atalanta in the Europa League, but he was also a very important player for Nigeria during the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, especially when Osimhen was not delivering the goods.

“We still have another six months to go and it’s difficult to assess whether he would still be the most dominant player or one of Africa’s most dominant players in Europe by the end of the year… But he’s certainly a contender.”

The 26-year-old has continued from where he stopped last season, delivering goals and impressive performances for both club and country.

On Saturday, September 7, Lookman scored a brace as Nigeria defeated Benin 3-0 in a 2025 AFCON qualifier match played in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

On current form, there is no doubt that the Super Eagles and Atalanta player is now in pole position to be crowned Africa’s best men’s player in November.

If and when he eventually wins the coveted prize, he would be following in the footsteps of his compatriot, Osimhen, who was crowned CAF African Player of the Year in 2023.

Five Nigerians have won the CAF award: Rashidi Yekini, Emmanuel Amunike, Kanu Nwankwo, Ikpeba, and Osimhen.

Come December, all things equal, the Atalanta player could be the sixth Nigerian in that elite club.

It would also be the first time since 1996-1997 that Nigerian players would be crowned African Player of the Year consecutively. Yekini and Amunike won the award in 1993 and 1994 respectively. Kanu Nwankwo and Ikpeba followed suit in 1996 and 1997 respectively.

There is still about two months to CAF’s announcement of nominees for the African Player of the Year. Notwithstanding, Ademola Lookman has been, by a mile, the best African men’s player in 2024, and deserves to be number one on the CAF podium.

This article was originally published on Africa Interviews and republished here with permission