Super Eagles and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman expressed his surprise at being nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or. The nomination came as a shock to Lookman, who shared the news with his national teammate, Calvin Bassey, while on a team bus.
“When I saw our team’s handle post the news, I was a bit surprised,” Lookman said during an appearance on the Counter Attack Podcast. “I told Calvin Bassey, and he couldn’t stop jumping up and down. He was so excited and told me I didn’t quite understand how big it was. That’s when it really hit me.”
Lookman, who made headlines by scoring a hat-trick in Atalanta’s Europa League final win over Bayer Leverkusen, is the only African player to be nominated for the prestigious award this year. He’s up against football giants like Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Erling Haaland for the top honor.
The 26-year-old also took time to acknowledge his talented Super Eagles teammates, naming Victor Boniface and Samuel Chukwueze as the most skillful players in the squad. He humorously included himself in the lineup of the team’s fastest players, alongside Bright Osayi-Samuel and Ola Aina.
Lookman’s form has been crucial in Nigeria’s recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where he netted two goals in their 3-0 win over Benin Republic on September 7, helping the Super Eagles secure a comfortable victory.
