Super Eagles Stars Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman Nominated for Prestigious Award

Super Eagles Stars Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman Nominated for Prestigious Award

  • Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman are two of the best Nigerian and African footballers at the moment
  • The Galatasaray and Atalanta attackers have been nominated for a prestigious world award in 2024
  • There's no place on the list for other top African players, including Mohamed Salah and Victor Boniface

The Nigerian duo of Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman have been nominated for the 2024 edition of a prestigious world award after impressive years.

Osimhen and Lookman have been two of the best Nigerian and African footballers in the past years, both at their respective clubs and for the national team.

Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen, Nigeria, Super Eagles, Equatorial Guinea, AFCON 2023, Alassane Ouatarra Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen celebrate Nigeria's goal during the 1-1 AFCON 2023 draw against Equatorial Guinea. Photo by Visionhaus.
Source: Getty Images

The Galatasaray loan star is the reigning African Footballer of the Year, while the Atalanta forward is a leading contender and favourite to succeed him this year.

Osimhen and Lookman nominated for award

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) has released its 30-man shortlist for the 2024 awards as top stars battle to succeed current holder Erling Haaland.

Read also

Impressive Nigeria-eligible defender named in Man Utd's travelling squad to face Fenerbahce

Super Eagles stars Osimhen and Lookman made the shortlist alongside top stars, including Ballon d'Or favourites Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham.

Lookman's presence is well deserved as he has been one of the standout players in 2024 and the only African nominated for the prestigious Golden Ball award.

Osimhen's form a concern

Osimhen's presence, however, raises controversy as the Napoli-owned forward had been quiet since helping the Italian club win the Serie A in the 2022/23 season.

As noted by ANS, they are the only two Africans nominated for the award, with players like Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah missing out.

The award began in 1988 and has eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski as some of its past winners.

Read also

Victor Osimhen achieves new records with bicycle kick goal against Antalyaspor

Why Lookman deserves CAF Best

Legit.ng analysed three reasons Lookman deserves CAF Best ahead of the official announcement of the three-man shortlist in which he is expected to be named.

His hat trick in the UEFA Europa League final against Atalanta and his exploits for the Super Eagles at AFCON 2023 are high claims for him in the award.

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Elijah Odetokun avatar

Elijah Odetokun (Sports Editor) Elijah Odetokun is a Nigerian sports editor at Legit NG. He has four years of working experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria (August 2020 - September 2020), OmaSports (December 2020 - June 2021), El Futbolero (July 2021; September 2021- November 2021), and Sports Brief (November 2022 - July 2024). He is a press conference and interview specialist and has attended trainings held by Reuters, AIPS, and FIJ. He holds a Bachelor of Agriculture (2021) from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Reach me via elijah.odetokun@sportsbrief.com