Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman has been nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or.
He is the only African in the list which was revealed today.
Lookman made the 30-man shortlist after scoring a hat-trick in the final as Atalanta won the Europa League last season.
Lookman was also part of the Super Eagles squad that lost the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final to Ivory Coast in February, scoring three goals and making the Team of the Tournament.
England have six players – Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka – nominated, while Lookman’s Turkish teammate Hakan Çalhanoğlu also made the cut.
As expected, the nominees have many players from Spain’s European Championship winning side, with some of them also winning the Champions League with Real Madrid. The Spanish players include Dani Carvajal, Rúben Dias, Dani Olmo, Rodri, Nico Williams, Alejandro Grimaldo and Lamine Yamal.
Germany’s Mats Hummels, Toni Kroos, Antonio Rüdiger, Florian Wirtz alongside Norway’s and Manchester City forward Erling Haaland and his international teammate, Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard.
Ødegaard’s Arsenal teammate, William Saliba joins Kylian Mbappé as the only two French players in the nominees alongside Copa America winners Emiliano Martínez and Lautaro Martínez of Argentina.
One of the favourites, Real Madrid’s Vinícius Jr. was also noninated as the only Brazilian alongside teammate Federico Valverde Vinícius. Other nominees Artem Dovbyk, Vitinha and Granit Xhaka.
