CAF award is a blessing for me, family, country, says Lookman
Newly crowned 2024 African Footballer of the Year, Ademola Lookman has revealed how important winning the award was to him.
Speaking after he was handed the plague, the Super Eagles and Atalanta forward said the honour was not only a motivation to him but a blessing as well for his family and Nigeria.
The Atalanta of Italy forward also used the moment to motivate others by urging them not to allow challenges deter their dreams.
“First, I want to thank Almighty God for all the blessings in my life. I also want to express my gratitude to the president and all my teammates, both at club and national levels, for their unwavering support.
“This award is a blessing for me, my family, and my country, and being recognized as Africa’s best player is truly incredible. I am extremely proud.”
Lookman beat four others, Ivorian Simon Adingra, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams to claim the award, thus succeeding Victor Osimhen, who won the prize last year.
The 27 year old Nigerian international, netted a hat-trick for Atalanta in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen in May.
This is the second time Nigeria is claiming the award for a consecutive year, having achieved that between 1996 and 1997 with Nwakwo Kanu winning it in 1996 while Victor Ikpeba grabbed the title the following years, 1997 to be precise.
He became the sixth Nigerian to win the award, with the previous winners being the late Rashidi Yekini, Nwankwo Kanu, Victor Ikpeba, Emmanuel Amuneke and Victor Osimhen.
Lookman, who was raised in South London, has had stints with Everton, RB Leipzig, Leicester City, and Fulham.
He started the year with the African Nations Cup runner-up medal, after Nigeria lost in the final to host Ivory Coast
He was the only African in the final shortlist for this year’s men’s Ballon d’Or where he placed 14th in the rankings.
