Nigeria's Ademola Lookman and Zambia's Barbra Banda take top CAF awards

Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman, was crowned the Confederation of African Football’s Player of the Year for 2024 at a glittering ceremony in the Moroccan city of Marrakech on Monday.

The Atalanta forward saw off competition from Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Ivorian Simon Adingra, Guinea's Serhou Guirassy, and Ronwen Williams from South Africa, to claim the prestigious title.

The 27-year-old joins an illustrious list of Nigerian footballers who have won the award, including last year’s winner, Victor Osimhen.

Lookman had a phenomenal season, both with his club and for his country, making him a hot favourite for the award.

He delivered a stunning hat-trick for the Italian club in the Europa League final, a performance that cemented his reputation as one of Europe’s elite forwards.

Lookman also played a crucial role in the Super Eagle’s second place finish in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring three goals in the tournament.

The former Everton, Fulham and Leicester City player was also the only African on this year's men's Ballon d'Or shortlist, finishing 14th.

Zambia's Barbra Banda picked up the women's award becoming the first women from her country to win the prize.

Banda scored four goals for Zambia at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including a hat-trick in a group-stage loss to Australia.

The striker scored 13 regular season goals and four in play-offs for American team, Orlando Pride, helping it to win the US National Women's Soccer League for the first time.