Atalanta forward nets hat trick in 2023/24 Europa League final to lead Serie A club to their first-ever European title
Nigeria and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman won the 2024 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Men's Player of the Year award Monday.
"When the stars align, they spell Ademola Lookman. Ladies and gentlemen, your Men's Player of the Year!" CAF said on X.
Lookman scored a hat trick in the 2023/24 Europa League final to secure the Serie A club's first-ever European trophy and only the second major title in its 117-year history.
The 27-year-old striker produced 17 goals and 10 assists in 45 games across all competitions for Atalanta in the 2023-24 season.
Morocco's Achraf Hakimi, South Africa's goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, Borussia Dortmund's forward Serhou Guirassy and Brighton's Ivorian winger Simon Adingra were among the nominees at the awards ceremony in Marrakech, Morocco.
Meanwhile, Barbra Banda, captain of the Zambia Women's National Team, was named the 2024 African Women's Player of the Year.
The Orlando Pride and Zambia striker became the first Zambian to win the CAF Women's Player of the Year Award.
The winner of the last CAF Men's Player of the Year award was Galatasaray's Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who was playing for Italian Serie A club Napoli at the time, while 2024 nominee Paris Saint-Germain Moroccan full-back Achraf Hakimi was the runner-up.
The 2024 CAF Men's Player of the Year award is presented to the best African men's footballer each year and has been organized by the CAF since 1992.
- Other award winners include:
Men's Goalkeeper of the Year: Ronwen Williams (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns)
Men's Interclub Player of the Year: Ronwen Williams (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns)
Men's Young Player of the Year: Lamine Camara (Senegal/AS Monaco)
Men's Coach of the Year: Emerse Fae (Ivory Coast)
Men's National Team of the Year: Ivory Coast
Men's Club of the Year: Al Ahly (Egypt)
Women's Goalkeeper of the Year: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria/Paris FC)
Women's Interclub Player of the Year: Sanaa Mssoudy (Morocco/ASFAR)
Women's Young Player of the Year: Doha El Madani (Morocco/ASFAR)
Women's Coach of the Year: Lamia Boumehdi (Morocco/TP Mazembe)
Women's National Team of the Year: Nigeria
Women's Club of the Year: TP Mazembe
