Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman has been nominated for the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or award, as announced by France Football Magazine on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Atalanta star is among 29 players shortlisted for the prestigious award, making him the only African player on the list.
Notably, eight-time winner Lionel Messi and five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo are absent from this year’s nominations. Lookman played a crucial role in Atalanta’s historic season, helping the Italian club secure its first-ever European trophy by scoring a hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen.
The former Everton player was in exceptional form last season, scoring 17 goals and providing 11 assists for Atalanta. Additionally, Lookman was instrumental in Nigeria’s journey to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire earlier this year, scoring twice as the Super Eagles finished as runners-up, losing 2-1 to the hosts.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or nominations are dominated by players from Spain’s national team, which won Euro 2024, and Real Madrid, the UEFA Champions League winners. Among the notable names on the list are Jude Bellingham, Vini Junior, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappe.
See Men’s list of nominees
- Antonio Rudiger – Real Madrid
- Kylian Mbappe – Real Madrid
- Lautaro Martinez – Inter
- Ademola Lookman – Atalanta
- Alejandro Grimaldo – Bayer Leverkusen
- Dani Carvajal – Real Madrid
- William Saliba – Arsenal
- Lamine Yamal – Barcelona
- Bukayo Saka – Arsenal
- Hakan Calhanoglu – Inter
- Rodri – Man City
- Declan Rice- Arsenal
- Harry Kane – Bayern Munich
- Cole Palmer – Chelsea
- Vitinha – PSG
- Vinicius Jr – Real Madrid
- Martin Odegaard – Arsenal
- Dani Olmo – Barcelona
- Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen
- Mats Hummels – Roma
- Erling Haaland – Man City
- Nicolas Williams – Athletic Bilbao
- Granit Xhaka – Bayer Leverkusen
- Artem Dovbik – Roma
- Toni Kroos – Real Madrid
- Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid
- Phil Foden – Man City
- Ruben Dias – Man City
- Federico Valverde – Real Madrid
- Emiliano Martinez – Aston VIlla