Nigerians can’t easily forget the historic moment of the Africa Football player of the year, Ademola Lookman with Europa League final hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen last season and his pride at being the sole African nominee for the 2024 Ballon d’Or.
The 27-year-old Nigerian international, who clinched Atalanta’s Player of the Month award in several occasions, spoke to France Football about his remarkable achievements.
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Lookman’s hat-trick propelled Atalanta to their first European silverware, defeating the previously unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Europa League final.
Charlton Athletic graduate expressed his disbelief at his Ballon d’Or nomination, stating, “I thought it was crazy when I saw my name in the 30 candidates for the Ballon d’Or. It’s crazy, and being the only African player on the list makes it even more special. I’m really proud of it. It’s an honour knowing where I’ve come from.”
Victor Osihmen was 8th in 2023 while Ademola Lookman was 14th in 2025 as both are nowhere near the top 30 nominees of the 2025 Ballon d’Or where Ousmane Dembele won his first ever major award despite a close call of Lamine Yamal and Vitinhna.
The calls for who will succeed Lookman as African Best might have been answered in the ballon d’Or rankings
4- Mohammad Salah (Liverpool/Egypt)
The Egyptian King’ rediscovered his best form and then some under new coach Arne Slot, leading the Reds to secure the Premier League title at a canter. Scoring 36 goals in all competitions saw him confirm his status as perhaps the best player Liverpool have had in the Premier League era.
6- Achraf Hakimi (PSG/Morocco)
Debates over who is the best right-back in world football throw up a whole host of contenders for the crown, but right now it’s difficult to look past Achraf Hakimi. The PSG star has been a consistently high performer for half a decade across his spells at Borussia Dortmund and Inter, and he looks to be getting even better. A staggering season saw the right-back contribute 30 goal involvements, and he helped the Champions League winners keep 26 clean sheets.
21- Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund/Guinea)
Guirassy enjoyed a truly remarkable debut campaign for Dortmund. The 29-year-old scored a staggering 38 goals in 50 games, including 13 in 14 Champions League games as the Bundesliga giants reached the quarter-finals, where he hit a hat-trick against Barcelona.
Victor Osihmen in 2024-2025 season was magical, during which he played on loan at Galatasaray. He scored 36 goals in 40 appearances for the Turkish club, 25 of which were in the league, and was a key player in their title win before making his move permanent in July 2025. Currently injured but he has scored 3goals in 3games for the Turkish Champion.
However, Lookman returned to action for Atalanta on Saturday following their 3-0 Serie A victory over Torino.
Following doubts about his future during the summer transfer window, the Nigerian forward made his season debut in the 87th minute.
Then, how clear are the rankings to dictate who will be crowned best in the African continent with the trio of Salah, Hakimi and Guirassy likely to be on the podium while Victor Osihmen keeps on watching.
