Super Eagles forward and Atalanta hitman, Ademola Lookman has been crowned the 2024 African Footballer of the Year by continental football governing body, – Confederation of African Football (CAF).
He was honoured at a grand ceremony held at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, Morocco, on Monday.
Lookman defeated other contenders including Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/PSG), Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast/Brighton), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea/Borussia Dortmund), and Ronwen Williams (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns) to emerge the king of African football for the year.
Lookman who succeeded Victor Osimhen, the 2023 winner of the award, had an impressive career year, especially at the club level where he made history as he netted a hat trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen, winning Atalanta’s first-ever European title.
In total, the 27-year old Yorùbá man scored 17 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions last season for Atalanta.
His sterling performance for the Super Eagles at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations also featured prominently in his achievements for the year, where he scored three goals as the Eagles won silver at the tournament.
Other winners at the annual continental awards include Zambian Barbra Banda who emerged as the Women’s Player of the Year – Zambia while the Nigerian Women’s National won the Team of the Year award.
The Men’s Young Player of the Year, for the second year in a row, is Senegalese Lamine Camara, as Moroccan Doha El Madani won the Women’s Young Player of the Year.
The Men’s Club of the Year is Al-Ahly of Egypt while TP Mazembe from Congo won the Women’s Club of the Year.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie emerged Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year while South African male goalkeeper Ronwen Williams won the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year
