Winning the title for the first time, Ademola Lookman won the African Footballer of the Year award to cap a remarkable year with Atalanta in Serie A. The Nigerian striker won the title ahead of big names such as Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Ivorian Simon Adingra and Guinean Serhou Guirassy in Marrakech.

With this victory, Lookman becomes the seventh Nigerian to win this prestigious title, a list already extended by players such as Nwankwo Kanu, Rashidi Yekini and Victor Osimhen.

He had a surprising second season under Gian Piero Gasperini, with 27 goals (17 goals, 10 assists) in 45 appearances in all competitions.
One of the highlights of Lookman’s year was the Europa League final, in which he scored a historic hat-trick as Atalanta beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0, becoming only the second player to score a hat-trick in a European final for an Italian club, following Milan’s Pierino Prati in 1969.

This season, Lookman has picked up where he left off, scoring 12 goals in Serie A, where Atalanta are currently top of the table. His winning goal against Milan earlier this month helped the team set a new record for consecutive league wins.

His three goals on the continent helped the Super Eagles finish second at the Africa Cup of Nations and earned him a place in the team of the tournament. On the international stage, he was Africa’s representative, the only African nominated for the Ballon d’Or this year, finishing 14th in the final standings.