Super Eagles and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman has been nominated for the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or award.
Lookman made the nomination list after his outstanding performance in the Europa League final where he scored a hat-trick as Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0.
The former Everton player was also instrumental in the Super Eagles run to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire early this year.
He scored two goals as the Nigerian team finished as runners up in the competition after losing 2-1 to the hosts in the final.
In the list announced by France Football Magazine on Wednesday, the 26-year-old Atalanta of Italy player was shortlisted alongside 29 players for the coveted award.
Lookman and South African goalkeeper Ronwen Hayden Williams are the only African players in the list. Eight-time winner and current holder Lionel Messi is not listed for this years’s award as well as five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
This year’s Ballon d’Or list is dominated by players from the Spanish national team which won the Euro 2024 in the summer and the Real Madrid team that won the UEFA Champions League.
Some of the nominees in the men’s player of the year nomination list includes Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr, Manchester City’s midfielder Rodri Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal amongst others.
