The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Thursday nominated the Super Eagles duo of William Troost-Ekong and Ademola Lookman for the 2024 African Player of the Year Award.
The two Nigerian players have been nominated alongside eight others for the prestigious award whose ceremony will take place in the tourist city of Marrakech, Morocco on 16 December, 2024.
Lookman, however, appears to be the overwhelming favorite to succeed reigning African Footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen, thereby becoming the sixth Nigerian to be named Africa’s best.
Wavenews, hereby, takes a look at how Lookman and Troost-Ekong have fared as regards their performances ahead of the awards ceremony in December.
Ademola Lookman
Atalanta attacker, Ademola Lookman will look back and forever continue to bless the day he made the decision to switch allegiance to Nigeria, having earlier played for England during his youth career with whom he won the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2017.
Lookman scored two goals in four matches during the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification series to help the Super Eagles qualify for the tournament in grand style.
Lookman as expected made Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro’s final 25-man squad list for the 2023 AFCON which took place in Cote d’Ivoire from January 13 to February 11, 2024 and went ahead to become the rave of the moment for Nigeria.
The 26-year-old made an assist for Victor Osimhen to net Nigeria’s equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea in their group A opener and was hugely instrumental to the Super Eagles qualifying for the knockout stages.
Lookman scored both goals for the Super Eagles in their 2–0 win over Cameroon in the round of 16 before scoring their only goal in a 1–0 win over Angola in the quarter-final as they reached the semi-final where they beat South Africa on penalty shootout.
Lookman in the process became the fourth Nigerian to score three or more goals in the knockout rounds of a single AFCON edition, matching the record set by Odion Ighalo, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha and the late Rashidi Yekini.
Nigerians had expected Osimhen to be the talisman for the Super Eagles at the 2023 AFCON in terms of goalscoring but with Lookman taking up that mantle, his name became number one on the lips of his compatriots back at home and in the diaspora.
The 27-year-old was also included in the official team of the tournament for the 2023 AFCON, according to CAF.
Furthermore, Lookman also delivered for his club during the 2023/24 season and was the major reason Atalanta won their first ever European trophy after scoring a hat-trick in the final of the Europa League to help his side thrash Bayer Leverkusen 3-0.
William Troost-Ekong
Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong is also a strong contender for the 2024 African Player of the Year Award after having the best year of his career as a professional footballer.
Troost-Ekong despite being a central defender was named the Player of the Tournament as the Eagles came second in the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast earlier this year.
The 31-year-old was also named in the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) Best XI of the tournament alongside Lookman and Ola Aina.
Troost-Ekong scored three goals in the tournament as he led Nigeria to a second-placed finish behind hosts, Ivory Coast.
He outjumped former Nottingham Forest defender, Serge Aurier to head the Super Eagles into a 1-0 lead in the final.
The defender showed terrific athleticism to get there above former Tottenham Hotspur man, Aurier after the Ivorians failed to clear a corner in the 38th minute at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium.
Troost-Ekong in the process became the first defender/full back to score three goals in the same CAF Africa Cup of Nations edition since Opta started collecting this data (2010).
He and Sébastien Haller (Côte d’Ivoire) are also the first players to score in both semi-final and final in the same CAF African Cup of Nations edition since Gedo with Egypt in 2010.
