Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman has been named Africa’s Footballer of the Year, beating out Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra, and South Africa’s goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
The 27-year-old Lookman received the award for his exceptional performances throughout the year, both for his club and national team. The announcement was made at the Confederation of African Football’s awards ceremony on Monday.
Born in London, Lookman played for English Premier League clubs Everton, Fulham, and Leicester City before joining Italian club Atalanta in 2022. Last season, he scored 17 goals in Serie A across all competitions, and this season, he has already netted 11 goals.
In May, Lookman played a crucial role in Atalanta’s Europa League triumph over German champions Bayer Leverkusen, scoring a hat-trick in the final.
Lookman also made significant contributions to Nigeria’s run to the Africa Cup of Nations final, scoring three goals. However, his team lost to Côte d’Ivoire in the final.
Lookman is the sixth Nigerian player to win the prestigious award. Last year, Victor Osimhen claimed the title. The record for most wins is held by Nwankwo Kanu, who has won the award twice. Other winners include Emmanuel Amunike, Victor Ikpeba, and Rashidi Yekini, who each won once.
The award is decided by a panel of national team coaches and captains, though the exact voting details have not been revealed.
Zambia’s 24-year-old Barbara Banda won the award for Africa’s Women’s Footballer of the Year.
