Super Eagles and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman has been nominated for the prestigious 2024 Ballon d’Or award.
Lookman’s impressive performance in the Europa League final, where he scored a hat-trick to lead Atalanta to victory over Bayer Leverkusen, earned him a spot on the coveted list.
In a historic moment for African football, the Nigerian striker is the only African player featured on the comprehensive list of contenders, which includes notable names such as Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, Manchester City’s Rodri, and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.
The full list of nominees for the Men’s Player of the Year Award includes:
Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)
Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
Ademola Lookman (Atalanta)
Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen)
Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid)
William Saliba (Arsenal)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter)
Rodri (Man City)
Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
Vitinha (PSG)
Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Dani Olmo (Barcelona)
Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Mats Hummels (Roma)
Erling Haaland (Man City)
Nicolas Williams (Athletic Bilbao)
Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen)
Artem Dovbik (Roma)
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
Phil Foden (Man City)
Ruben Dias (Man City)
Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to take place on October 28 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, where the following awards will be presented:
– The Ballon d’Or (best male player)
– The Ballon d’Or Feminin (best female player)
– The Yashin Trophy (best male goalkeeper)
– The Kopa Trophy (best male player under 21)
– The Gerd Muller Trophy (best male striker)
– The Socrates Award (humanitarian work)
– Men’s Club of the Year Award
– Women’s Club of the Year Award
– Men’s Coach of the Year Award
– Women’s Coach of the Year Award
