Nigeria and Atalanta forward, Ademola Lookman, has been nominated for the FIFA World XI in the attacking category. He joins an elite list of nominees which include Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius Junior.
Other attackers nominated for the prestigious award include Akram Afif, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, German Cano, Artem Dovbyk, Viktor Gyokeres, Lautaro Martinez, Jamal Musiala, Soufiane Rahimi, Goes Rodrygo, Salomon Rondon, Bukayo Saka, Luis Suarez, Ollie Watkins, Nico Williams, and Lamine Yamal.
Ademola Lookman has had an amazing 2024. From ranking 14th in the Ballon D’or to being nominated for the CAF African best player award and also the Globe Soccer Awards for the best men’s player of the year, his recognition in continental and global awards has been outstanding.
The Super Eagles forward has been a pivotal player for Atalanta, recording 17 goals and 9 assists in 45 games last season, while also scoring a hatrick to win the UEFA Europa League against Bayer Leverkusen. He is well on course to repeat or even surpass his achievements for his club this season, with 9 goals and 5 assists in just 15 games so far.
He has also been a shining light for Nigeria, with multiple brilliant performances in the AFCON and several qualification games. He was named in the AFCON team of the year after recording 3 goals and 1 assist. He was also important in Nigeria’s qualification for AFCON 2025.
Other award categories revealed by FIFA include The Best FIFA Men’s Player, The Best FIFA Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Men’s Coach, The Best FIFA Women’s Coach, The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper and The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper. Voting is open on FIFA.com until 23:59 CET on Tuesday, 10 December 2024.
