Ademola Lookman's Ballon d'Or nomination has fueled hopes he'll succeed Victor Osimhen as African Footballer of the Year, building on his impressive international performances.
The nominees for the 2024 Ballon d'Or have been announced. Ademola Lookman is the only African player to be shortlisted this year for the prestigious award.
Lookman's impressive performances in the Serie A with Atalanta, his historic hat trick in the UEFA Europa League final and the 2023 AFCON have made him a strong contender for the award.
Ademola Lookman's Ballon d'Or nomination has fueled hopes that he'll succeed Victor Osimhen as African Footballer of the Year, building on his impressive international performances.
Osimhen made history last term, finishing eighth on the Ballon d'Or ranking, ahead of many other superstars.
Already, the Super Eagles have sent out a congratulatory message hailing the nomination of Lookman for one of football's most prestigious individual accolade.
"Congratulations to our own @Alookman_ who has been nominated for the @ballondor award. Goodluck Demola 🔥🙌🏽 #soarsupereagles" a post on the Super Eagles X Page read.
Full List of Nominees
The 30-man shortlist includes:
Full list of Ballon d'Or contenders
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
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
Women's Categories
The Ballon d'Or also recognises outstanding achievements in women's football, with the following nominees:
Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona, Chelsea, Lyon, PSG
Women's Coach of the Year:
Sonia Bompastor (Lyon/Chelsea), Arthur Elias (Corinthians/Brazil), Jonatan Giraldez (Barcelona/Washington Spirit), Filipa Patao (Benfica), Sarina Wiegman (England)
Women's Player of the Year:
Lauren Hemp (Man City), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), and Barbra Banda Shanghai (Shanghai RCB/Orlando Pride) are top on the list...
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Men's Categories
Men's Club of the Year:
Borussia Dortmund, Girona, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid, Manchester City
Men's Coach of the Year:
Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso, Luis de la Fuente, Gian Piero Gasperini, Pep Guardiola, Lionel Scaloni
Yachine Trophy (Best Goalkeeper): Diogo Costa, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Gregor Kobel, Andrei Lunine and Mike Maignan are leading the list...
Kopa Trophy (Best Young Player): Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Garnacho, Arda Guler, Karim Konate and Kobbie Mainoo are top on the nomination list...
Award Ceremony
The 2024 Ballon d'Or award ceremony will take place on 28 October at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, celebrating the world's most prestigious individual football player awards.
