Ballon d’Or ceremony: Special night for Lookman
By Tosin Omojola
Super Eagles and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman has described the Ballon d’Or ceremony as a “special night” as he took to the red carpet at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on Monday.
“It’s very special for me to be here tonight,” Lookman said. “It’s a big achievement for my country, for my club, for everybody involved, and for my fans. So, it’s a special night.”
Lookman’s place among the 30 contenders follows an exceptional season with Atalanta, where his performances helped secure the club’s first European trophy. He played a pivotal role in the Europa League final, scoring a hat-trick that led Atalanta to a 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
He secured an impressive 14th-place finish in the prestigious Ballon d’Or rankings.
Lookman’s 14th-place finish followed Victor Osimhen’s eighth-place finish last year after he also led Napoli to their first Serie A title in 30 years.
The 27-year-old was the only African on the 30-man nominee list released by France Football on October 26. Aside from his impressive performance for Atalanta, he also led Nigeria to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations earlier in the year.
