First-time winner Ademola Lookman took the African Footballer of the Yr award to cap a fantastic yr at Atalanta in Serie A, because the Nigerian ahead took dwelling the respect forward of some large names – Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra, and Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy – in Marrakech.
This victory now makes Lookman the seventh Nigerian winner of the distinguished accolade, a listing already boosted by the likes of Nwankwo Kanu, Rashidi Yekini, and Victor Osimhen. He loved a startling second season underneath Gian Piero Gasperini as he recorded 27 objective involvements-17 targets, 10 assists-in 45 appearances in all competitions.
A spotlight of Lookman’s yr was the Europa League closing, wherein he scored a historic hat-trick with Atalanta defeating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0, changing into solely the second participant ever to have scored a treble in a European closing for an Italian membership, emulating Milan’s Pierino Prati from 1969.
This season, Lookman has taken up from the place he left off, chipping in with 12 targets in Serie A the place Atalanta presently lead the desk. His winner in opposition to Milan earlier this month helped the facet set a brand new file of successive league wins.
His three targets on the continent took the Tremendous Eagles to runners-up on the Africa Cup of Nations, and he took his place within the Crew of the Match. On the worldwide stage, he was Africa’s consultant, the one African nominated for this yr’s Ballon d’Or, which lastly positioned 14th within the closing standings. Barbra Banda of Zambia was the primary from her nation to say the accolade within the girls class, holding off Morocco’s Sanaa Mssoudy and Nigerian Chiamaka Nnadozie.
