Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman and goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali have been named in the final five-man shortlist for the 2024 CAF Player of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year awards, respectively. However, defender William Troost-Ekong, despite his standout performances at AFCON 2023, failed to make the cut.
CAF announced the top five nominees across men’s categories for the awards, set to take place on December 16 in Marrakech, Morocco. Lookman, who shone for Atalanta and Nigeria, is joined in the Player of the Year shortlist by Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), and Ronwen Williams (South Africa).
In the Goalkeeper of the Year category, Nwabali will compete with Williams, Manchester United’s Andre Onana (Cameroon), Yahia Fofana (Ivory Coast), and Mostafa Shobeir (Egypt).
Former Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro was omitted from the Coach of the Year category, which includes AFCON-winning coach Emerse Fae (Ivory Coast) and four others. Nigeria remains a contender for the National Team of the Year, alongside Ivory Coast, DR Congo, South Africa, and Sudan.
Lookman is considered the favorite for Player of the Year after a stellar season, scoring 17 goals and providing 10 assists in the 2023/24 campaign, including a Europa League final hat-trick. He has continued his impressive form this season with eight goals and five assists in 14 games.
The CAF Awards cover performances from January to October 2024 and include seven men’s categories, such as Young Player and Club of the Year.
