Reigning CAF Player Ademola Lookman to Battle Victor Osimhen for Special Award
- Ademola Lookman is set to battle fellow international teammate Victor Osimhen for the main prize at the Pitch Awards ceremony
- AFCON 2023's most valuable player William Troost-Ekong is also in strong contention for the prestigious prize
- Striker Osimhen bagged his third 'King of the Pitch' award during the 10th anniversary of the ceremony in 2024
Super Eagles stars Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and William Troost Ekong will vy for a special prize during the 2025 Nigerian Pitch Awards.
Lookman, who is the reigning CAF Player of the Year, will look to dethrone the incumbent holder Osimhen for the ultimate prize.
Nominees for the awards in various categories were unveiled at the Bon Hotels in Ikeja, Lagos.
Source: Getty Images
The biggest award of the night 'King of the Pitch', will see strong contention from Nigerian stars Osimhen, Lookman and Ekong.
The trios were sensational at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations where the Super Eagles finished as runners-up behind host Ivory Coast.
Osimhen scored Nigeria's opening goal at the tournament when they played a 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea.
Lookman netted three goals at the continental showpiece, including a brace in their 2-0 win over Cameroon in the Round of 16.
The 27-year-old also made the difference in the quarter-final, scoring the lone goal in their 1-0 win over Angola.
Source: Getty Images
He was pivotal for Atalanta's Europa League glory when he netted a hat-trick in La Dea's 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the final.
Ekong had a glorious tournament in Ivory Coast, scoring three crucial goals during the competition.
The Al-Kholood FC of Saudi Arabia netted from the spot as Nigeria defeated the host nation 1-0 in the group stage.
Ekong also scored from the spot against South Africa and also converted his spot kick during the penalty shootout as Nigeria edged Bafana Bafana.
The Dutch-born forward gave Nigeria the lead in the final, before Franck Kessie and Sebastine Haller turned it around to win the title for the host, as per ESPN.
Ekong was named the most valuable player of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Osimhen bagged his third 'King of the Pitch' award during the 10th anniversary of the ceremony in 2024.
The organiser of the awards, Shina Phillips, that the awards would not let down its guard in protecting the integrity and transparency of the award, Premium Times reports.
The award categories include Goalkeeper of the Year, Defender of the Year, Midfielder of the Year, Striker of the Year, Queen of the Pitch, King of the Pitch, Sam Okwaraji Award, Football Pitch, Football-Friendly Governor, Corporate Sponsor, alongside several honours for media representatives.
Lookman sets Champions League record
Legit.ng earlier reported that Ademola Lookman became the first Nigerian football star to score in four consecutive UEFA Champions League matches following his strike against Club Brugge.
The forward netted five goals in seven UCL appearances this season, and the last four against Club Brugge, Sturm Graz, Real Madrid, and VfB Stuttgart have come consecutively.
Atalanta have crashed out of the season's tournament after a 2-5 aggregate loss to Club Brugge.
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Source: Legit.ng
