5 days Ago By Salifu Usman
The choice of the Atalanta star striker is highly debatable considering his performance over the last 12 months. His three goals and two assists were pivotal to Nigeria reaching the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Final in Cote d’Ivoire in February, and his hat-trick in a 3-0 win handed the Serie A table topper, Atalanta FC, the UEFA Europa Cup at the expense of hitherto-unbeaten German side, Bayer Leverkusen in May. This season, the Nigerian international has notched 11 goals and five assists in 18 appearances in all competitions for Atalanta, including a goal against defending champions Real Madrid FC in the UEFA Champions League.
He also scored two goals as Nigeria qualified for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations finals, with two other goals controversially chalked off. None of the four other final nominees comes close to former Everton and Leicester City of England striker. Ivorian Simon Adingra, whose remarkable second-half performance saw the Elephants overcome Nigeria in the AFCON Final in Abidjan on 11 February, cannot point to such a glittering record with English Premier League club, Brighton.
Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, who notched a number of magnificent goals in the 2025 AFCON qualifying campaign, failed to steer Guinea to the AFCON finals, and has not pulled up too many trees with Borussia Dortmund in Germany this season. South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has better chances in the goalkeeper of the year category, which he contests with Cameroon’s Andre Onana and Ivorian Yahia Fofana. Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi can hardly stake a claim.
In the women’s category, Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie is a worthy contender for the Player of the Year (won for the sixth time last year by compatriot Asisat Oshoala), and the gong will cap a remarkable year for the soft-spoken safe hands who helped Nigeria re-appear at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament after 16 years, was key to the Falcons’ qualification for next year’s AFCON and drew rave reviews all around with French club, Paris FC. She is in competition with Moroccan Sanâa Mssoudy and Zambian Barbra Banda. Nnadozie is also in contention to retain her Goalkeeper of the Year award, with Andile Dlamini (South Africa) and Khadija Er-Rmichi as contenders.
There is also Nigerian interest in Women’s Young Player of the Year category, with former junior international Chiamaka Okwuchukwu contending with Egyptian Habiba Sabry and Morocco’s Doha El Madani. Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala won the first-ever title in this category, back in 2021. Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria and South Africa (in the same order they finished on the podium at the AFCON) are in the race for the Men’s National Team of the Year, and Morocco, South Africa and Nigeria (who are the gong-holders and have finished the year as Africa’s number one on the FIFA ranking) battle for the women’s gong.
Nigeria’s Edo Queens are in the shortlist for Women’s Club of the Year, alongside TP Mazembe of DR Congo and South AS FAR of Morocco. Will we see Lookman standing together with Nnadozie as winners of the Player of the Year awards in both categories (as we saw Nwankwo Kanu and Mercy Akide-Udoh in 1999, and Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala in 2023)? The 2024 CAF Awards are a chance to celebrate African unity and excellence, and Legends from a crucial part of that rich tapestry have being invited to grace the occasion. The annual gala shines a spotlight on African football excellence over the previous 12 months, but the presence of Legends allows for reflection on African game that goes back much further.
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