African Footballer of the Year: Top 4 Contenders From Salah to Boniface

• African footballers, especially in Europe, produced impressive performances in 2023/24, and some are candidates for the Player of the Year award
• Nigeria's Victor Osimhen won last year's prize but had a poor 2023/24 season at Napoli, making it unlikely he will defend that title.
• A Nigerian player will likely win this award again this year because their players were on fire this year

The 2023/24 season was a historic one for African players, especially those playing their trade in Europe.

2023 African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen struggled to recapture his form, but we witnessed Victor Boniface's rise in the Bundesliga.

Boniface and several other players will contend for the 2024 African Footballer of the Year award later this year.

The story of the season so far from African footballers have come from Germany with Boniface. However, Serhou Guirassy has flown under the radar with his impeccable performances for Stuttgart in 2023/24.

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Osimhen struggled to replicate his historic 2022/23 season and will unlikely defend his crown. His Napoli side put up one of the worst title defences in recent memory.

They finished 10th and had three coaches. The Nigerian superstar managed 17 goals in 32 matches compared to 31 in their title-winning season. So, who are the leading contenders for the 2024 African Footballer of the Year?

African Footballer of the Year contenders

Mohamed Salah

The Egyptian star produced another decent campaign in a Liverpool shirt. Despite falling short in the Premier League, he scored 25 goals and registered 14 assists in 44 matches. The 32-year-old won the award in 2017 and 2018.

Serhou Guirassy

The Guinean striker put together an incredible 2023/24 campaign at Stuttgart. Guirassy scored 28 goals in the Bundesliga and 30 in all competitions. Only Bayern Munich's Harry Kane (36) has scored more than him in the league.

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His exceptional performances helped Stuttgart finish second ahead of giants Bayern Munich. He joined Borussia Dortmund last month.

Victor Boniface

The Bayer Leverkusen star had an impressive debut season in Germany. Despite an injury-filled season, he registered 21 goals and 10 assists in 34 matches. He helped Leverkusen win their first Bundesliga title, and they did it without tasting defeat. He concluded the season with a German Cup medal.

Ademola Lookman

The Nigerian forward has had a clutch season for both club and country. He bagged 17 goals and 10 assists, including a hat-trick in the Europa League final for Atalanta against Bayer Leverkusen.

The former Leicester City star also scored and assisted in the second-leg of the semi-final against Olympique Marseille in the Europa League, and scored and assisted in the Italian Cup semi-final against Fiorentina, per Football London.

At the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in January, he scored match-winning goals in the Round of 16 and quarter-final. His performances have seen him linked with moves to top clubs.

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Scoring a hat-trick in a European Cup final is enough to win Lookman the award.

Lookman set for Atalanta departure

In a related publication, Legit.ng reported that it seems increasingly likely that Lookman will be plying his trade away from Atalanta this season.

The Nigerian forward, who has captivated many with his stellar performance in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen, has seen his stock rise and a wave of transfer interest follow.

Reports have highlighted Paris Saint-Germain’s interest in the Nigerian star, a recent update from an Italian football expert suggests that a Premier League club is also keen on signing the versatile forward.

Source: TUKO.co.ke