Tomorrow night in the popular Moroccan tourists’ destination of Marrakech, Nigerian football will again be seeking more recognition for excellence at continental level when CAF stage their annual awards ceremony.
Last year, Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala scooped the most prestigious individual gongs on offer after they were named Player of the Year for both men and women, respectively.
Atalanta and Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman will be the favourite to succeed Osimhen as Africa’s No 1 player of 2024.
CAF said the voting, which has involved coaches and captains of national team’s, journalists and the CAF technical committee, is “too close to call”.
However, the records clearly showed that Ademola Lookman has not only been outstanding but consistent for both club and country to become the seventh Nigerian to be crowned King of African Football.
A transfer to ambitious Atalanta after numerous loan spells across Europe and a change of international allegiance from England to Nigeria have turned his career around.
Even after many months, his unforgettable hat-trick for his Italian club to win the UEFA Europa League for the first time in their history is still being talked about.
In the year of the AFCON, he scored thrice and provided an assist for the Super Eagles to reach the final of the continent’s showpiece event.
He was the only African nominated for the prestigious Ballon d’Or, where he ranked a commendable 14th.
Like last year, ‘Home boy’ Achraf Hakimi will be the main rival of ‘Mola’.
He captained Morocco to win bronze at the Paris Olympics and has continued to catch the eye with perennial French Ligue 1 champions PSG.
There will also be a change of guard for the best women’s player on the continent after record six-time winner ‘Agba Baller’ Oshoala, who for many years has been the poster-girl of the Super Falcons, was not nominated.
Super Falcons No 1 Chiamaka Nnadozie is now in the race for the Player of the Year prize after lifting French club Paris FC to top reckoning in Europe and also getting Nigeria back to the Olympics after a 16-year absence.
However, she will be up against Barbara Banda, who has shone for both Zambia and her club Orlando Pride in the NWSL in the USA.
Banda has already won the 2024 BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year Award and her goal helped Orlando Pride win the NWSL championship.
Nnadozie has a better chance of retaining the Goalkeeper of the Year Award she won last year.
Rivers Angels and Falconets striker Chiamaka Okwuchukwu is on the three-person shortlist for the women’s Young Player of the Year.
Her goals helped Nigeria to reach the Gold Medal match at the Africa Games in Ghana in March as well as the quarterfinal of this year’s U20 World Cup in Colombia.
Both the Super Eagles and the Super Falcons have been considered for the National Team of the Year for both the men and women’s categories.
The Super Eagles were beaten the final of the 2023 AFCON, qualified for the 2025 AFCON, but their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup are hanging precariously in the balance as they have failed to win after four rounds of matches.
The Super Falcons, on the other hand, stopped reigning WAFCON champions South Africa to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Paris Olympics though will prove to be a huge anti-climax as they lost all three group games.
Edo Queens also made the final shortlist for the women’s Club of the Year after they finished fourth on their debut in the CAF Women’s Champions League.
