On December 16, 2024, Nigerians expect that Ademola Lookman should be crowned the CAF African Player of the Year in an awards ceremony slated to hold in Morocco.

Though the Atlanta of Italy forward faces stiff competition from PSG star Achraf Hakimi and other nominees, including the Nigerian national team captain William Troost-Ekong, Ronwen Williams, Simon Adingra, Amine Gouiri, Edmond Tapsoba, Chancel Mbemba, Serhou Guirassy, and Soufiane Rahimi, he has broken a string of records and deserves to be called to the podium to win the award won by his national teammate Victor Osimhen in 2023.

Ademola Lookman made history by becoming the first player to score a hattrick in the final of the UEFA Europa League. The feat saw Atlanta break Bayern Leverkusen’s unbeaten record in the 2023/24 season to win their first title since 1963.

ALSO READ: Victor Osimhen Is The Biggest Summer Signing In Turkish Football History

The former Everton FC star also became only the sixth player to score a hattrick in a major European final and the first to score a hattrick in a European final in 49 years after Jupp Heynckes in the final of the UEFA Cup in 1975.

Ademola Lookman is also the first African player in history to score a hattrick in a major European final.

On the international front, Ademola Lookman was instrumental in Nigeria’s campaign at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, where they finished second, scoring four times.

Ademola Lookman has continued with his blistering form for Nigeria and Atlanta in the 2024/25 season and deserves to be named the African Player of the Year this December.