Ademola Lookman Shares His Reaction to Ballon d’Or Nomination

• Nigerian forward, Ademola Lookman, was recently nominated for the 2024 France Football Ballon d’Or award
• The marquee Atalanta attacker became only the eighth Nigerian in history to make the final 30-player shortlist for the prize
• The 2023/24 UEFA Europa League star has explained how he reacted to the nomination for the prestigious Golden Ball award

Ademola Lookman was the sole African to make it to the final 30-player shortlist for the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or award announced by France Football.

The Nigerian forward, who enjoyed a stellar campaign with Atalanta, led the Bergamo club to its first major trophy in over six decades with a brilliant hat-trick in the final of the UEFA Europa League against Bayer Leverkusen.

The marquee forward, who was also crowned the Italian club’s Player of the Season, became only the eighth Nigerian to have been nominated for the award, according to data courtesy of Soar Super Eagles.

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However, in the aftermath of his nomination, the 26-year-old has detailed how he reacted to being nominated by France Football for the prestigious prize.

Lookman speaks on Ballon d’Or nomination

Speaking in an interview with the Counter Attack Podcast, the Atalanta star shared his reaction to discovering his Ballon d'Or nomination and the significance it holds for him.

Lookman recounted that he was on the team bus returning from a training session when he saw a post from the Super Eagles' social media account announcing his inclusion in the Ballon d'Or shortlist.

"I was on the bus after training when I saw our handle post that I had been nominated for the Ballon d'Or. I was a bit surprised," Lookman admitted, reflecting on the surge of notifications that followed.

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He further detailed that he only fully appreciated the magnitude of the nomination after discussing it with his teammate, Calvin Bassey.

"I was with Calvin Bassey when I told him, and he was jumping up and down with excitement. He kept saying, 'You don’t really understand.' That was when it truly sank in," Lookman explained.

Having been highly sought after during the summer transfer window by several clubs across Europe, Lookman will be looking to achieve the highest possible ranking by a Nigerian in the France Football award standings. Victor Osimhen's eighth-place finish in the 2023 edition remains the highest by a Nigerian in the history of the award.

Referee cancels Lookman’s goal

Legit.ng in another report highlighted that Nigerian fans have flooded social media with criticism of referee, Karim Sabry, after he controversially disallowed Lookman’s goal during the match against Rwanda.

The Moroccan referee ruled out the forward’s goal, citing a foul by Semi Ajayi in the build-up.

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Victor Osimhen names his favourite to win the 2024 CAF Player of the Year award

Source: Legit.ng