CAF Awards: Ademola Lookman Named African Player of the Year

A star-studded 2024 CAF Awards ceremony took place in Marrakech, Morocco. The ceremony honored Africa’s most outstanding artists for the year, and Lookman emerged as the grandest winner.

Attendees at the dazzling occasion included football royalty from throughout the continent and even other countries.

It was a celebration of the remarkable expansion and development of the game in Africa, as well as the astounding accomplishments that have been made in men’s and women’s football over the course of the past few years.

After a remarkable year with the Italian club Atalanta, Lookman was honored with the title of CAF Men’s Player of the Year. This accomplishment follows in the footsteps of his countryman Victor Osimhen, who was the recipient of the accolade in 2023.

Having won his first cap for Nigeria at the international level, the Super Eagles winger is now receiving the accolade, which comes less than 33 months after he won his first cap.

Before pledging his career to Nigeria, the 27-year-old player won the FIFA U17 World Cup with England. He then went on to assist the Super Eagles in achieving the runner-up position at the 34th Africa Cup of Nations finals, which took place in Cote d’Ivoire earlier this year.

Additionally, he was an integral part of the Italian team Atalanta FC’s victory in the UEFA Europa Cup the previous year. This year, he has contributed to the club’s success by scoring 11 goals and notching five assists in a total of 18 matches across all other tournaments.

As a result of goalie Chiamaka Nnadozie’s continued reign as the winner of the goalie of the Year award, Lookman’s victory was the cherry on top for Nigeria.

Nnadozie, a goalkeeper from Nigeria, was awarded the prize for the second year in a row. She had another fantastic season for Paris FC, a French club, where she was crowned the Première Ligue Goalkeeper of the Season for 2023/2024.

In the same way as they did the previous year, the Super Falcons were able to win the Women’s National Team of the Year honor once more from this year.

Gusau, who accepted the Women’s National Team of the Year award on behalf of the Falcons, devoted the award to Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady of Nigeria, and stated that his administration will continue to support women’s football in all of its implications. Gusau was the recipient of the award.

Mary Onyali, a five-time Olympian and Olympic bronze medalist from Nigeria, Obafemi Martins, a former striker for Nigeria, and Chioma Ajunwa-Oparah, a gold medalist in the women’s long jump competition at the 1996 Olympic Games, were among the stars of the night as they presented awards.

Six members of the Super Falcons, including Michelle Alozie, Osinachi Ohale, Rasheedat Ajibade, and Asisat Oshoala, have been selected for the CAF Best 11 Women roster for 2024. Additionally, Victor Osimhen, who won Player of the Year the previous year, and King Lookman, who is a newcomer to the team, have been selected for the Best 11 Men roster.

The other two players who emerged victorious on the evening were the striker from Zambia, Barbra Banda, and the goalie from South Africa, Ronwen Williams.

The 2024 National Women’s Soccer League season in the United States was dominated by Banda, who was instrumental in Orlando Pride’s victory over Washington Spirit in the championship game and helped Orlando Pride win the NWSL Shield. Banda scored the game-winning goal in the championship match.

Her hat-trick for Zambia at the twenty-fourth Olympic Games in Paris was her third in Olympic Games football. It was an all-time record for the sport, and it elevated her to the ranks of the greatest players who have ever played the game.

In the year 2024, Banda made history by becoming the first player from Africa to be selected for the FIFPRO Women’s World 11 team.

Williams was the only person to win two trophies on that particular evening. He was awarded the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award as well as the Men’s Interclub Player of the Year championship.

The remarkable penalty saves that he made during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 will be remembered for a very long time. Among these saves, he made four stops during South Africa’s quarterfinal shootout victory over Cape Verde, which led to the team’s bronze medal.

As his side Mamelodi Sundowns won their seventh consecutive domestic league title, the 32-year-old player was instrumental in the team’s achievement of a joint record low of just 11 goals conceded in 30 games in the South African Premiership with the support of his teammates.

Sanaa Mssoudy, a forward with AS FAR and the Morocco national team, was awarded the Women’s Interclub Player of the Year title after she was named the Best Player at the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League.

As a result of his spectacular performances for both his club and his country, Lamine Camara, who plays for both Senegal and Monaco, was awarded the title of Men’s Young Player of the Year. Camara is a versatile box-to-box midfielder.

Doha El Madani, who plays for AS FAR and Morocco, was awarded the Women’s Young Player of the Year award. Additionally, the 19-year-old player claimed the Golden Boot at the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League by scoring six goals in five matches throughout the competition.

Emerse Fae was awarded the Men’s Coach of the Year award after he guided Cote d’Ivoire to victory in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations on their own turf. This achievement was considered to be one of the most remarkable sports tales that occurred on a global scale in the year 2024.

Lamia Boumehdi, a Moroccan tactician, was awarded the title of Women’s Coach of the Year after she guided TP Mazembe, a team from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to victory in the 2024 Commonwealth of African Nations Women’s Champions League final against AS FAR.

Following their victory in the continental championship, the Men’s National Team of the Year award was bestowed upon Cote d’Ivoire, while the Women’s National Team of the Year award went to the Super Falcons of Nigeria.

While TP Mazembe was awarded the title of Women’s Club of the Year, Al Ahly was determined to be the deserving winners of the Men’s Club of the Year award for their fourth consecutive victory in the CAF Champions League in the past five years.