Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman and teammate William Troost-Ekong have both been nominated for the African Player of the Year award.
The 10-man shortlist for the 2024 awards, which will take place in the Moroccan city of Marrakech, was unveiled by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Thursday.
As expected, Lookman, the only African nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, made the shortlist alongside Ekong, who was named Player of the Tournament as the Eagles finished second in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held earlier this year in Ivory Coast.
Lookman was also included in the 2023 AFCON Team of the Tournament, scoring three goals in the Eagles’ run to the final.
They are the only two Nigerians nominated for the award, as CAF did not include last year’s winner, Victor Osimhen, and Victor Boniface, who led Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten domestic season, winning the German Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. Their only loss of the season came in the Europa League final, where they were defeated 3-0 by Atalanta.
Lookman, who is the favorite to win the award, was instrumental in Atalanta’s Europa League triumph—their first trophy since 1963—scoring a hat trick in their 3-0 final victory. He was also named his club’s Player of the Season.
Just like Lookman, Troost-Ekong had a trophy-winning campaign at club level, winning the Greek league with PAOK FC last season before moving to Saudi Pro League side Al-Kholood.
Other nominees for the Player of the Year award include Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain; international teammate Soufiane Rahimi, who plays in the UAE for Al Ain; South Africa’s Ronwen Williams, who was voted Goalkeeper of the Tournament at the 2023 AFCON; and Brighton’s Ivory Coast midfielder, Simon Adingra.
Also nominated are Algeria’s Amine Gouiri from French Ligue 1 side Rennes, Boniface’s club teammate Edmond Tapsoba from Burkina Faso, Chancel Mbemba from Congo and Marseille, and Guinea’s Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy.
The Super Eagles were also nominated for the National Team of the Year (Men) award while Stanley Nwabali made the cut in the Goalkeeper of the Year category.
The winners of each category will be determined through votes from a diverse panel, including the CAF Technical Committee, media professionals, and the Head Coaches & Captains of Member Associations, as well as clubs participating in the group stages of Interclub competitions.
