•As African Player Of The Year
The African Football Association, CAF, has unveiled a 10-man list of nominees for the 2024 Men’s African Player of the Year Award. The winners will be revealed on December 16th, 2024, in Marrakech, Morocco. The award considers the period between January 2024 and October 2024.
Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen earned the title of CAF African Men’s Player of the Year in 2023, whereas Asisat Oshoala was named CAF African Women’s Player of the Year. This year, another Nigerian is among the favourites to win the award, though it is not Osimehn but Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman. The forward has received international acclaim since his hat-trick in the 2024 Europa League final, which the Italian Club won.
Osimhen’s win was received with much fanfare, and rightly so, given his dominance and the 24-year wait for a Nigerian winner since King Kanu was crowned in 1999 came to an end.
However, it is about time to start discussing Osimhen’s successor, as the shelf life of his coronation is a short one-year span.
Unless the Napoli forward imitates stars like Sadio Mane (2019, 2022), Mohamed Salah (2017, 2018), Yaya Toure (2011–2014), Samuel Eto’o (2003–2005), El Hadji Diouf (2001, 2002), and Abedi Pele (1991–1993) by submitting a campaign worthy of an extension for another year or more, he will have to abdicate the throne for another superstar.
Simon Adingra is the only player from the Premier League to be nominated for the award, with other African stars in the English top flight such as Mohamed Salah, Mohammed Kudus, and Nicolas Jackson all being left out of the list. The Liverpool forward’s absence from the list has particularly upset fans.
Other big names missing from the list are that of Morocco and Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz, Nigeria and Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface. Moroccan defender Hakimi has been included in the list after coming second-best in last year’s edition of the award.
All this being said, City People evaluates 3 possible players that could dethrone Osimhen as the next CAF African Men’s Player of the Year 2024.
ADEMOLA LOOKMAN
Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman has had an outstanding year for both club and country, making him a clear favourite for the CAF Player of the Year award.
In the 2023/2024 season, the 26-year-old helped Atalanta win the UEFA Europa League and was named the Club’s Player of the Year.
Lookman scored a hat-trick in the Europa League final, as Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0, becoming the first player to net a treble in a one-legged European final since 1969.
On 4 September 2024, Lookman became the first Atalanta player ever to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or, thanks to his performances for both Atalanta and Nigeria during their run to the AFCON final.
He was also included in the Europa League Team of the Season, alongside only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the other African player.
Lookman was Nigeria’s joint-top scorer at AFCON 2024, alongside Troost-Ekong, and both were named in the Team of the Tournament.
After his Ballon d’Or nomination, Lookman is now the clear frontrunner for the CAF Award, especially after being named Atalanta’s Player of the Month for September.
It would be the shock of the century if anyone beats Lookman to the CAF Player of the Year crown.
WILLIAM TROOST-EKONG
It’s rare to see a defender score three crucial goals at the AFCON and be named the tournament’s Best Player, but that’s exactly what Troost-Ekong achieved when he captained Nigeria to a second-place finish at AFCON 2024 in Côte d’Ivoire.
He scored in the 2-1 final loss to the hosts, becoming the first Nigerian defender to find the net in an AFCON final.
His five AFCON goals now make him Nigeria’s highest-scoring defender in the tournament’s history, surpassing Stephen Keshi’s long-standing record of 4.
Troost-Ekong’s tally of five AFCON goals is also a record for the most goals by a defender in the history of the competition.
When he was named the AFCON Best Player, he became the first defender to win the accolade since Cameroon’s Rigobert Song in 2002, breaking a 22-year streak.
Adding to his success, Troost-Ekong lifted the Greek Super League title with PAOK before moving to Saudi club Al-Kholood in the summer.
With these accomplishments, Troost-Ekong could follow in the footsteps of Sadio Mane, who won both the 2021 AFCON Best Player Award and the CAF Player of the Year award later that year.
RONWEN WILLIAMS
South Africa’s and Mamelodi Sundowns Williams is only among two Ballon d’Or nominees on the CAF Awards list, the other one being Nigeria and Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman. This is why many Africans are saying maybe it’s time for an Africa-based player to win the award for the first time in 39 years, since Morocco’s Mohamed Timoumi, played for AS FAR in 1985.
The goalkeeper, nominated for the Yashin Trophy, awarded to the best goalkeeper in the world, has been the best shot-stopper on the continent following his impressive performances at AFCON 2023 where South Africa won a bronze medal while he also led Sundowns to Premier Soccer League and African Football League, AFL glory.
Williams was voted the best goalkeeper at AFCON 2023 for his heroics, which included saving a record four penalties in a game against Cape Verde, and two against DR Congo as Hugo Broos’ men went on to finish third, their best-ever performance at the tournament in 24 years.
That makes him a firm favourite for the Player of the Year Award, even though he also received nominations in the Goalkeeper of the Year and Inter-Club Player of the Year categories.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
From the list, Simon Adingra made headlines for setting up both goals in the AFCON final as Ivory Coast beat Nigeria 2-1, Edmond Tabsoba won both Bundesliga and DFB Pokal with Leverkusen but Burkina Faso did not go past the Round of 16.
Chancel Mbemba’s DRC finished fourth, but Marseille did not have a good season in Ligue 1, while Serhou Guirassy drove Stuttgart to Champions League qualification with his 28 league goals although Guinea’s AFCON journey ended at the quarter-final.
Full list
Simon Adingra (Brighton & Hove Albion and Ivory Coast), Amine Gouiri (Rennes and Algeria), Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund and Guinea), Achraf Hakimi (Paris St-Germain and Morocco), Ademola Lookman (Atalanta and Nigeria), Chancel Mbemba (Marseille and DR Congo), Soufiane Rahimi (Al Ain and Morocco), Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen and Burkina Faso), William Troost-Ekong (Al Kholood and Nigeria), Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns and South Africa).
By Benprince Ezeh
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