Nigeria\u2019s Ademola Lookman has been named the Confederation of African Football\u2019s (CAF) Player of the Year for 2024. The announcement was made during a star-studded ceremony held in Marrakech, Morocco, on Monday night.<\/p>\n
The 27-year-old Atalanta forward outshone Morocco\u2019s Achraf Hakimi, Simon Adingra of Ivory Coast, Guinea\u2019s Serhou Guirassy, and South Africa\u2019s Ronwen Williams to claim the prestigious title.<\/p>\n
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Lookman\u2019s triumph adds his name to Nigeria\u2019s elite roster of past winners, joining the likes of Victor Osimhen, who won the award in 2023. His exceptional performances for both club and country made him a clear favorite this year.<\/p>\n
For Atalanta, Lookman delivered a show-stopping hat-trick in the Europa League final, solidifying his position as one of Europe\u2019s most formidable forwards. On the international stage, he was pivotal to the Super Eagles\u2019 runner-up finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring three vital goals during the tournament.<\/p>\n
Further cementing his place among football\u2019s elite, Lookman was the only African on the 2024 Ballon d\u2019Or shortlist, finishing an impressive 14th overall.<\/p>\n
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In the women\u2019s category, Zambia\u2019s Barbra Banda made history as the first Zambian to win the award. Banda\u2019s extraordinary year included scoring four goals for Zambia at the 2024 Paris Olympics, highlighted by a remarkable hat-trick against Australia during the group stage.<\/p>\n
Banda also shone at the club level, scoring 13 regular-season goals and four in the playoffs to lead the Orlando Pride to its first-ever US National Women\u2019s Soccer League title.<\/p>\n
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The 2024 CAF Awards once again highlighted the immense talent across the continent, with Lookman and Banda\u2019s victories showcasing the impact of African players on the global stage. Their achievements inspire a new generation of footballers and reaffirm Africa\u2019s growing influence in world football.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nigeria\u2019s Ademola Lookman has been named the Confederation of African Football\u2019s (CAF) Player of the Year for 2024. The announcement was made during a star-studded ceremony held in Marrakech, Morocco, on Monday night. The 27-year-old Atalanta forward outshone Morocco\u2019s Achraf Hakimi, Simon Adingra of Ivory Coast, Guinea\u2019s Serhou Guirassy, and South Africa\u2019s Ronwen Williams to<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_1160854738579181570_1160854738579181570":"","facebook_3558452337540614_100649324928663":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,22],"tags":[285,394,266],"class_list":{"0":"post-9816","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-awards","8":"category-sports","9":"tag-amnewsworld","10":"tag-marrakech","11":"tag-reporters"},"yoast_head":"\n