On Wednesday, Real Madrid defeated Atalanta 2-0 at the PGE Narodowy Stadium to win the to win the UEFA Super Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.
While Atalanta were missing some of the stars that won the Europa League for them last season, Los Blancos had a squad filled to the brim with stars. Eventually, those stars made the difference, as goals from Federico Valverde and Kylian Mbappe sealed the win for Real Madrid.
Nigeria star Ademola Lookman had a decent game, but he could not make a difference because of the support cast. They relied on him to wave his magic wand just as he did at last season's Europa League final. But he could not pull it off as he was up against a solid and well-grounded Madrid side.
Meanwhile, that game was just one of the many auditions for the CAF Player of the Year awards. Following his performance for Atalanta last season, Lookman has emerged as a top contender for the CAF Awards.
However, he has competition from Egypt's Mohammed Salah, Serhou Guirassy, Achraf Hakimi, and Victor Boniface. Brahim Diaz is also in the mix after switching allegiance to Morocco last season.
Diaz's switch was a game-changer, as he had an impressive campaign with Real Madrid last season. He registered 12 goals and nine assists in 44 appearances for Los Blancos, helping them win the Champions League and La Liga.
However, unlike Lookman, Diaz was not a constant fixture in Real Madrid's lineup as he got just 18 starts in La Liga last season. Lookman on the other hand, had 22 starts.
As for total goal contributions, Lookman had 17 goals and ten assists last season. Diaz was more of a squad player, and he had no major impact on what Real Madrid achieved last season.
However, Lookman had a big impact, and his hattrick in the final of the Europa League builds a big case for him.
Previously, Lookman had a big shout at winning the Player of the Year award. In the Super Cup, Lookman played the entire game and looked like the only bright spark for Atalanta in the final third. But Diaz got just seven minutes. So even with all his title, he hasn't had the kind of influence that Lookman had from last season.
As its stands, the status quo remains unchanged. And unless something monumental happens, Lookman is still the favorite for the POTY award.
