Nigeria and Genk striker Tolu Arokodare has claimed the prize for the best African player in the Belgian Pro League, Afrosport reports.
Arokodare, the winner of the 2024-25 Ebony Shoe Award, has scored 22 goals and provided seven assists for Genk across all competitions this season, including 20 goals in the Belgian top-flight.
The Nigerian played an integral part in Genk’s top-of-the-table finish during the 2024-25 Belgian Pro League regular season, but they finished third after the Championship play-offs, with rivals Club Brugge crowned champions.
Arokodare won the award ahead of teammate Zakaria El Ouahdi, compatriot and Brugge midfielder Raphael Onyedika, and Noah Sidiki and Promise David (Union Saint-Gilloise).
Ebony Shoe 2025: Tolu Arokodare
@toluarokodare
Meer info:https://t.co/DVk3dzRfH8#mijnploeg pic.twitter.com/XwHXoE6GJ6
— KRC Genk (@KRCGenkofficial) May 12, 2025
“Yes, this is definitely my biggest prize so far. Although I hope that even bigger prizes are coming,” he told Sporza.
“I want to keep going up and that can be in any competition. If I keep working hard, I will get the chances I deserve. But I am happy that my name is in the history books.”
The Lagos-born striker is the sixth Nigerian to win the accolade, joining Daniel Amokachi (1992/1994), Victor Ikpeba (1993), Godwin Okpara (1995), Celestine Babayaro (1996), and Paul Onuachu, who recently won the award in 2021.
