Nigerian winger, Ademola Lookman, has been nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award.
The Super Eagles player made the list that had heavyweights like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo missing.
Strikingly, the Atalanta of Italy forward is the only African to be considered worthy for the 2024 Ballon d’Or nomination.
Ademola Lookman made the 30-man 2024 Ballon d’Or shortlist after scoring 20 goals and making 12 assists for club and country in the 2023/2024 season.
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Lookman made headlines after guiding Atalanta to win 2023/2024 Europa League, scoring a hat-trick in the Europa League final overcome unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen.
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The Charlton Athletic academy graduate also had a decent outing with the Super Eagles in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) earlier this year, scoring three goals as Nigeria finished runners-up behind hosts Ivory Coast.
He becomes the 9th Nigerian to be nominated for the coveted award after Finidi George in 1995, Daniel Amokachi in 1995, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha in 1995, Nwankwo Kanu in 1996 and 1999, Victor Ikpeba in 1997, Sunday Oliseh in 1998, Asisat Oshoala in 2022 and 2023, and Victor Osimhen in 2023.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or nominees list was unveiled on Wednesday with Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Nico Williams, and Lamine Yamal also making the 30-man shortlist.
Full list of the nominees for the 2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or:
Ademola Lookman
Jude Bellingham
Erling Haaland
Kylian Mbappe
Lamine Yamal
Nico Williams
Florian Wirtz
Granit Xhaka
Emiliano Martinez
Lautaro Martínez
Martin Odegaard
Mats Hummels
Harry Kane
Toni Kroos
Hakan Calhanoglu
Dani Carvajal
Ruben Dias
Artem Dovbyk
Phil Foden
Alejandro Grimaldo
Dani Olmo
Cole Palmer
Declan Rice
Rodri
Antonio Rüdiger
Bukayo Saka
William Saliba
Federico Valverde
Vinícius Junior
Vitinha
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi failed to make the Ballon d’Or shortlist, the first time either of the two has been absent from the Ballon d’Or nomination list since 2003.
The eventual winner of the world’s most prestigious individual football player award would be announced at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France on 28 October.
