2024 CAF Player of the Year Award: Why Lookman Deserves to Succeed Osimhen

2024 CAF Player of the Year Award: Why Lookman Deserves to Succeed Osimhen

Chukwu Ikechukwu
May 10, 2024 at 10:34 AM
In this article:
Ademola Lookman logo
A. Lookman
Atalanta logoFNigeria logo
Atalanta logo
Atalanta
Italy
49
UEFA Europa League logo
UEFA Europa League
Europe
CAF Africa Cup of Nations logo
CAF AFCON
Africa
Nigeria logo
Nigeria
Nigeria
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Super Eagles logo
Super Eagles
South Africa
Victor Osimhen logo
V. Osimhen
Napoli logoFNigeria logo
  • Ademola Lookman deserves a shout for the 2024 CAF Player of the Year award
  • The 26-year-old winger stands out as the frontrunner for the prestigious award
  • Victor Osimhen is the reigning CAF POTY after a superb 2023 season for Napoli

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Ademola Lookman has been on fire for Atalanta this season and there are already calls for the Super Eagles winger to be crowned as the 2024 CAF Player of the Year.

The 26-year-old winger guided Atalanta to the Europa League final after grabbing a goal and an assist as the Italians dispatched Olympique Marseille 3-0 to win 4-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals.

Victor Osimhen, CAF, Napoli, Super Eagles, Nigeria, AFCON, Europa League.
Victor Osimhen is the reigning CAF Player of the Year after winning the award in 2023. Photo by AFP.
Source: Getty Images

According to Soccernet, Lookman has established himself as a formidable forward for the Nigeria senior team and also for Atalanta and has emerged as a strong candidate to replace compatriot Victor Osimhen as Africa’s best player.

Osimhen’s reign as CAF’s POTY is set to come to an end and the likes of Mohamed Kudus, Victor Boniface, and Lookman have been identified as the early contenders for the prestigious award.

Kudus has had a phenomenal first season in England with West Ham while Boniface has led Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten campaign so far, qualifying for the Europa League final and winning the Bundesliga.

Why Lookman deserves CAF’s POTY award

Meanwhile, Lookman boasts of a remarkable track record in the 2023-24 season campaign as the Nigerian winger is on course to win two titles with Atalanta this season.

The Super Eagles winger played a key role for the Italian giants as they reached the finals of both the Copa Italian and the Europa League.

Lookman was also instrumental for Nigeria as the Super Eagles won the silver medal at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, scoring three goals in the knockout stages.

Lookman Nominated for Europa League Award

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Lookman’s brilliance in the Europa League for Atalanta has earned the Super Eagles winger a nomination for the Player of the Week award.

The 26-year-old forward was the architect of Atalanta’s superb victory against Olympique Marseille in the Europa League semi-finals second leg on Thursday night.

The Italian giants qualified for the competition’s final following a convincing 3-0 victory against their French counterparts with Lookman notching a goal and an assist.

Authors
Chukwu Ikechukwu photo
Chukwu Ikechukwu
Chukwu Ikechukwu Godwin is a journalist with over 9 years of experience in the Nigerian media industry. He has worked both in Radio (Today FM, Rhythm FM, Wish FM) and Television (Silverbird TV) as a Sports Analyst..