The Nigerian duo of Ademola Lookman and William Troost-Ekong both headline a star-studded list of nominees for the Men’s African Football Player of the Year at the 2024 CAF Awards, Afrosport reports.
Lookman starred for Atalanta within the year under review, as he led the Italian club to triumph in the UEFA Europa League, where he scored a hat-trick in the final, and finished with 17 goals and 10 assists in the 2023-24 season.
The 27-year-old was also instrumental in helping the Super Eagles reach the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast, finishing with three goals and an assist in seven matches.
Meanwhile, Troost-Ekong, who was named Player of the Tournament at AFCON 2023, was a stalwart in the Super Eagles defense, helping the team to three clean sheets in the six matches he played in.
The 31-year-old defender also scored three goals at the tournament, including the opener in the final, which Nigeria eventually lost to the hosts.
The duo, however, have a tough battle to fight as they will be competing against eight of the best African players for the prestigious award of being named the best male footballer on the continent.
They are up against the likes of Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), who made it to the final three-man shortlist last year, Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea), Souafiane Rahimi (Morocco), Chancel Mbemba (DR Congo), Amine Gouiri (Algeria), Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams, who is the only goalkeeper on the list.
The winner of this category will be announced at the 2024 CAF Awards on December 16 in Marrakech, Morocco.
𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 (𝗠𝗲𝗻) – 𝗡𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝘀#CAFAwards2024 pic.twitter.com/1fhdmOay7a
— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) October 24, 2024
Full list of nominees for CAF Men’s Player of the Year
Ademola Lookman
William Troost-Ekong
Achraf Hakimi
Simon Adingra
Serhou Guirassy
Souafiane Rahimi
Chancel Mbemba
Amine Gouiri
Edmond Tapsoba
Ronwen Williams
