How Atalanta Celebrated Ademola Lookman’s Historic CAF Player of the Year Victory
- Italian Serie A side Atalanta has celebrated newly crowned CAF Men’s Player of the Year Ademola Lookman
- The Nigerian winger won the prestigious award for the first time after an amazing year with the reigning Europa League champions
- Lookman defeated Achraf Hakimi, Simon Adingra, Serge Guirassy, and Ronwen Williams to win the historic award
Ademola Lookman’s success as the 2024 CAF Player of the Year was a source of pride not just for Nigeria, but also for his club, Atalanta.
The Italian Serie A team celebrated the Nigerian forward’s historic achievement in a great manner, praising his exceptional efforts both on and off the pitch.
Source: Twitter
According to BBC, Lookman saw off competition from Ivory Coast's Simon Adingra, Guinea's Serhou Guirassy, Achraf Hakimi of Morocco, and South Africa's Ronwen Williams to win the prestigious award.
The Atalanta forward becomes the second Nigerian to win the award in two consecutive years, taking over the crown from compatriot Victor Osimhen who won it in 2023.
Lookman is also the sixth Nigerian to win the CAF Player of the Year award after the likes of Rashidi Yekini, Emmanuel Amunike, Nwankwo Kanu, Victor Ikpeba, and Osimhen.
How Atalanta celebrated Lookman’s POTY win
Atalanta has described Lookman’s CAF Player of the Year win as ‘historic’ after the winger claimed the honour for the first time in his career.
The 27-year-old forward has been pivotal to the Italian club’s success in 2024, guiding them to win their first-ever European title after they defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Europa League final with him scoring a hat-trick.
Lookman also helped Atalanta return to the UEFA Champions League this season and has been in the forefront of their Serie A title chase in the 2024/25 season as they currently lead the league table in Italy.
PSG reacts to Lookman’s POTY win
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Paris Saint-Germain issued a statement after Ademola Lookman won the CAF Player of the Year award over their defender Achraf Hakimi.
The club praised Hakimi, who was widely favored in his homeland to claim the honor, for his outstanding performance.
Hakimi, a finalist for the award, was also included in CAF's Best XI during Monday night's ceremony.
Source: Legit.ng
