Only African Nominee Ademola Lookman Finishes In 14th Place In 2024 Ballon d'Or Rankings.

Nigeria Super Eagles and Atalanta star  Ademola Lookman has finished in 14th place in the final rankings of the 2024 Ballon d’Or on Monday night. 

The Charlton Athletic academy graduate who was present at the award ceremony in Paris, was the only representative from Atalanta or Africa on the 30-player shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d’Or. 

Lookman has been on a scintillating form as he wrote himself into footballing history when he single handedly won Atalanta first-wber European trophy by netting a phenomenal hat-trick in the 3-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final back in May.

It was a first defeat of the season upon the then-unbeaten German Bundesliga champions Leverkusen.

In doing so, he became one of only four players to ever score a hat-trick in a major European final, and the only player ever to do so in a Europa League final. 

He scored scored 17 goals and made 11 assists in all for Atalanta last season.

Lookman finished as the second highest Serie A player in the final rankings, behind Lautaro Martinez of Inter, but ahead of Hakan Calhanoglu and Roma pair Artem Dovbyk and Mats Hummels. 

The 27-year-old was also a key player in the Nigeria squad that made it all the way to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final but lost 2-1 to the host country Cote d'Ivoire early this year.  He scored three goals in the competition, and was named in the competition's best XI alongside captain William Troost-Ekong.

Up next for Lookman is the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards coming up in December 2024, as he has also in a 10-man shortlist and he is favourite to win the 2024 African Footballer of the Year award. He would replace his compatriot and last year winner Osimhen.

This new season, Lookman has continued from where he stopped last season, he recently was involved in La Dea's 6 goals trashing over Hellas Verona in the Serie A last Saturday. He scored twice and assisted twice and was named the Man of the Match afterwards.

He has scored 5 goals, 3 assists so far. He is  Nigeria’s top performer at the ongoing 2025 AFCON qualifiers with two goals.

This brings Lookman as the third-highest-ranked Nigerian player in the history of the awards, as he narrowly missed out in joining Victor Osimhen to become the only Nigerians to have made the top 10 in the Ballon d’Or award. 

Osimhen was ranked in the 8th position last year having helped Napoli win their first Scudetto in 32-years, he finished ahead of prominent players such as Karim Benzema, Jude Bellingham, Robert Lewandowski, and Mohamed Salah in the 2023 Ballon d’Or rankings.

He became the first Nigerian footballer to be shortlisted for the award in 24 years, with former Eagles captain Nwankwo Kanu the last Nigerian player to receive a nomination in 1999.

Kanu is in second place after he ranked 11th in the 1996 Ballon d’Or.

Highest-Ranked Nigeria Player In Ballon d'Or History:

• Victor Osimhen (2023) - 8th

• Nwankwo Kanu (1996) - 11th

• Ademola Lookman (2024)  - 14th🆕

• Finidi George (1995) - 21st

• Nwankwo Kanu (1999) - 23rd

• Victor Ikpeba (1997) - 32nd