Ballon d’Or: CAF Celebrates Ademola as the Only African Nominated for the Award

Last year, it was Victor Osimhen who made the list, finishing in 8th spot after guiding Napoli to their first-ever Scudetto in 33 years with 26 league goals. He then went on to win the African Footballer of the Year award.

If predictions are correct, Lookman could follow in the footsteps of Victor Osimhen to win the most coveted award in Africa.

Last season, Lookman helped his team, Atalanta, to win their first-ever trophy in 61 years when they defeated Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final, during which he scored a hat trick—becoming the first African to score a hat trick in a European final.

He finished the season with 17 goals and 10 assists in all competitions for Atalanta and was named the club’s Player of the Season following a remarkable campaign.

Lookman also played a crucial role in helping Nigeria reach the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in January, though the three-time champions were defeated by the host nation.

Ademola, who is currently in Uyo, Nigeria for the 2025 AFCON qualifier games against Benin Republic and Rwanda on September 7 and 10, respectively, is the 8th Nigerian player to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or award, after Finidi George, Daniel Amokachi, Jay-Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, Victor Ikpeba, Sunday Oliseh, and Victor Osimhen.

Full list of the 2024 Ballon d’Or nominees for the top 30 candidates to be voted on in October:

◉ Jude Bellingham

◉ Ruben Dias

◉ Phil Foden

◉ Federico Valverde

◉ Emiliano Martínez

◉ Erling Haaland

◉ Nico Williams

◉ Granit Xhaka

◉ Artem Dovbyk

◉ Toni Kroos

◉ Vinícius Jr

◉ Dani Olmo

◉ Florian Wirtz

◉ Martin Ødegaard

◉ Mats Hummels

◉ Rodri

◉ Harry Kane

◉ Declan Rice

◉ Vitinha

◉ Cole Palmer

◉ Dani Carvajal

◉ Lamine Yamal

◉ Bukayo Saka

◉ Hakan Çalhanoğlu

◉ William Saliba

◉ Kylian Mbappé

◉ Lautaro Martínez

◉ Ademola Lookman

◉ Antonio Rüdiger

◉ Alejandro Grimaldo

The winner of the award will be announced on October 28, 2024, at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, France.