Ademola Lookman was named the CAF African Footballer of the Yr on Monday at an awards ceremony in Marrakech, Morocco after a stellar season with Atalanta and the Nigeria nationwide crew.
Zambia’s Barbra Banda received the ladies’s prize after firing the Orlando Delight to the NWSL Championship, scoring the winner within the last towards Washington Spirit.
Lookman, 27, scored a hat trick within the Europa League last to earn the Serie A membership their first-ever European silverware, and solely the second main trophy of their 117-year historical past.
The previous RB Leipzig, Leicester and Fulham ahead additionally scored thrice as Nigeria reached the ultimate of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, the place they have been edged out by Sebastian Haller’s late objective for the Ivory Coast within the last.
Lookman scored 17 targets and contributed 10 assists in 45 video games throughout all competitions for Atalanta within the 2023-24 season and has made a equally productive begin to this marketing campaign, discovering the web 11 instances in 19 membership video games as Gian Piero Gasperini’s crew sit two factors away from Napoli on the summit of Serie A.
“This award is a blessing, to be recognised as greatest participant in Africa is one thing unimaginable,” Lookman mentioned as he picked up the trophy.
“4 years in the past my profession felt down however now I am right here as one of the best participant in Africa. Do not let your failures cease your desires.”
The opposite nominees for the gong have been Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, Borussia Dortmund ahead Serhou Guirassy, and Brighton’s Ivorian winger Simon Adingra.
Lookman succeeds fellow Nigerian Victor Osimhen because the winner of the celebrated award, which was first handed out formally by CAF in 1992.
Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah, Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang and Riyad Mahrez have all claimed the prize in recent times. Samuel Eto’o and Yaya Toure share the document for probably the most wins, every choosing up the award 4 instances.
Banda overcame competitors from NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga to win the ladies’s award. The Delight ahead was the standout participant of the playoffs, scoring within the championship sport, the semifinal towards Chawinga’s Kansas Metropolis Present and a brace within the quarterfinal conflict with the Chicago Crimson Stars.
Banda provides the accolade to the BBC’s fan-voted Ladies’s Footballer of the Yr, which was introduced in late November. Her triumph ends Asisat Oshoala‘s maintain on the trophy — the Bay FC and former Barcelona star was named winner in 5 of the final six years.