Julius Okorie
Super Eagles and Atalanta winger, Ademola Lookman, is no doubt a strong contender for this year’s ‘edition of African Footballer year award.
Accolades have continued to come the way of the Atalanta strong man since leading his side to clinch the Europa title at the expense of compatriot, Victor Boniface, in that final against Leverkusen, where he delivered a hat-trick.
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The latest accolade is coming from neigbouring Ghana, where Lookman has been named the Best African International Footballer at the Ghana Football Awards in Accra. He outclassed Victor Boniface and Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmund Tapsoba, to clinch the title.
The former Fulham and Leicester City player, had a standout year, guiding Nigeria to the Africa Cup of Nations final and scoring a hat-trick in the Europa League final.
He also played a key role in Atalanta’s fourth-place finish in Serie A, with 17 goals and 10 assists across all competitions.
Lookman’s performance has caught the attention of top European clubs and interest from Saudi Arabia.
Reacting to his award at the former Gold Coast enclave, Lookman regretted not being on ground to personally collect the award but expressed delight at being celebrated.
“I am grateful for the honour, the nominations, and the votes, it is something that I, and even my family, are excited about as much as I wish I could be physically present now with you all in Ghana , my heart is here with you all” he said.
Lookman, who received national award of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) alongside other Eagles after the Nations Cup in Cote d Ivoire, is a strong believer in continuous hard work and improvement.
After the then Jose Peseiro tutored Eagles finished second against Elephants of Cote d Ivoire, Lookman declared that the Eagles will be back. He said “We fell short but we gave everything and we will be back. Thank you for all the love and support, always grateful for the fans. Congratulations to the hosts & Haller, you’re an inspiration to all. God bless Naija 🇳🇬
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Lookman has since made himself a must play in the Eagles squad and will be a major support when Eagles re-open their World cup qualifiers early next year.
Also celebrated at the Ghana Football Awards was West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus. He won two awards, including Ghana Player of the Year, for his excellent season in England and his contributions at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Kudus’ solo goal against Freiburg in the UEFA Europa League was named the best goal of the night.
Lookman May Takeover From Osimhen
Nigeria international and Napoli fowarward, Victor Osimhen, is the reigning African Footballer of the year after beating Morocco and PSG star, Achraf Hakimi and Egypt and Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah, to the second and third positions respectively.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
