Nigeria ahead Ademola Lookman was topped African Footballer of the Year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) at its awards ceremony on Monday.
The 27-year-old dazzled in May, scoring a hat trick to guide Atalanta to a Europa League victory over Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin.
Earlier, Lookman performed a key position in Nigeria’s run to the Africa Cup of Nations last in Ivory Coast, netting three targets through the match.
Born in London, Lookman has beforehand performed within the Premier League with Everton, Fulham, and Leicester City. Since becoming a member of Atalanta in 2022, he scored 17 targets final season and has already netted 11 within the present marketing campaign.
“This award is a blessing; to be recognized as the best player in Africa is something incredible,” he stated.
“Four years ago, my career was down, but now I’m here as the best player in Africa. Don’t let your failures stop your dreams.”
Lookman was named forward of Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra and South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
The award is voted on by a panel that features nationwide crew coaches and captains, however no particulars of the voting tallies had been instantly offered.
Lookman is the seventh Nigerian to take the award and succeeds final 12 months’s winner, Victor Osimhen.
Nwankwo Kanu (twice), Emmanuel Amunike, Victor Ikpeba, and Rashidi Yekini are the opposite earlier Nigerian winners.
Zambia’s Barbra Banda, 24, was named African Women’s Player of the Year.
Two years in the past, she was omitted of the squad for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations finals on gender eligibility grounds however was cleared by FIFA to compete on the 2023 Women’s World Cup and performed at this 12 months’s Paris Olympics.
Source: www.dailysabah.com