Ballon d’Or 2024: Nigeria’s Lookman shines at 14th as Africa’s finest and Serie A’s second-best

Nigerian international Ademola Lookman has made history by finishing in 14th place in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings, capping a fantastic year for the Atalanta forward, Soccernet.ng reports.

Lookman’s position makes him the highest-ranked African player on this year’s prestigious list and the second-highest representative from Serie A, only behind Inter’s Lautaro Martinez.

The former RB Leipzig star was the sole nominee from Atalanta and Nigeria on the Ballon d’Or’s 30-player shortlist.

The 27-year-old attacker finished better than other Serie A standouts including Hakan Calhanoglu, and Roma’s Artem Dovbyk and Mats Hummels.

Lookman’s standout moment of the year came in May, during the Europa League final, where he etched his name in European football history by scoring a hat-trick that handed Bayer Leverkusen their first defeat of the season.

This achievement made him one of only four players to score a hat-trick in a major European final and set him apart as the first to do so in a Europa League final.

His international impact has been equally impressive.

At the beginning of the year, Lookman was a crucial part of Nigeria’s journey to the Africa Cup of Nations final, where the Super Eagles fell just short of victory, losing to the host nation Ivory Coast.

Lookman is now the big favourite to be named the CAF Africa Player of the Year next month, succeeding fellow Nigerian Victor Osimhen.