Nigeria international and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman is leading the list of five players who have been shortlisted for the 2024 CAF Men’s Player of the Year, MySportDab reports.
The terrific winger reached the peak of his career in the 2024 Europa League final where his heroism secured the continental silverware for Atalanta against an undefeated Bundesliga Champions Bayer Leverkusen.
He netted a stunning hat-trick becoming the first player to do so in a major European club competition final.
Lookman scored five goals in the competition and had one assist as the Serie A side raced to their first continental triumph.
He also scored 11 Serie A goals with seven assists, helping Atalanta finish in the top four in the Italy top flight and booking a slot in the UEFA Champions League despite having done so with the Europa final triumph.
On the international scene, Lookman played a crucial role as Nigeria sailed to the final of the 2024 AFCON in Cote D’Ivoire.
He scored three goals in the competition and provided one assist, finishing as the team’s top scorer.
Other players that are set to rival Lookman for the award are Serhou Guirassy of Guinea and Borussia Dortmund, Achraf Hakimi of Morocco and PSG, Simon Adingra of Cote D’Ivoire and Brighton, and Ronwen Williams of South Africa and Mamelodi Sundown.
Serhou Guirassy is also considered a top favorite for the award after his exceptional individual brilliance for Vfb Stuttgart in the Bundesliga last season.
He finished second on the 2023-24 Bundesliga top scorers chart with 28 goals plus 2 assists in 28 Bundesliga games, helping the team qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
He also scored 2 DFB-Pokal goals with one assist in two matches but blanked in Guinea’s 2023 AFCON campaign.
Achraf Hakimi won Ligue 1 title with PSG and scored 4 goals with 5 assists. He also scored in Morocco’s 2023 AFCON campaign before the team crashed out in the round-of-16.
Simon Adingra scored 10 goals with one assist in all competitions for Brighton last season but his biggest achievement was winning the 2023 AFCON with Cote D’Ivoire.
He played a crucial role for the Elephants in the tournament, scoring one goal and providing two assists as the team roared to victory.
Ronwen Williams won the South African Premiership with Mamelodi Sundowns in the year and played a crucial role as South Africa finished third in the 2023 AFCON.
He won the best goalkeeper of the tournament after becoming the first goalkeeper in football history to save three shootout penalties.
