Ademola Lookman becomes ninth Nigerian player to be nominated for a Ballon d’Or

A proud moment for football in Nigeria saw dynamic Super Eagles attacker Ademola Lookman nominated for the 2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or.

A star for both Nigeria and Atalanta, Lookman was the only African football to be named on a shortlist of 30 players after playing a key role in both his country and club reaching a major final this past year.

Lookman scored three goals and was one of the Super Eagles’ most creative figures at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, whilst his hat-trick for Atalanta in the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League final will see him go down in history as the first player ever to achieve that feat.

The 26-year-old is the ninth player in Nigeria’s football history to be nominated for a Ballon d’Or, with eight coming from the Super Eagles and one from the Super Falcons. A full list of nine players are below.

Finidi George - 1995 

Daniel Amokachi - 1995

Jay-Jay Okocha - 1995

Nwankwo Kanu - 1996, 1999

Victor Ikpeba - 1997

Sunday Oliseh - 1998

Asisat Oshoala - 2022, 2023 (Women’s Ballon d’Or)

Victor Osimhem - 2023

Ademola Lookman - 2024