The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has expressed strong support for Ademola Lookman and Chiamaka Nnadozie, who are vying for the prestigious CAF Player of the Year awards in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively.
Lookman is competing for the Men’s Player of the Year Award alongside contenders like Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra, PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams. In a statement, the NFF backed Lookman, highlighting his impressive form with Atalanta and asserting that none of the other nominees match his achievements.
“In the men’s category, Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman stands out as the rightful contender for the African Player of the Year award at the 2024 CAF Awards,” the NFF said. “Adingra, despite his role in Ivory Coast’s AFCON victory, cannot boast of the same level of success at the club level with Brighton.”
Nnadozie, who plays for Paris FC, is also a favorite for the Women’s Player of the Year award, where she faces competition from Morocco’s Sanaa Mssoudy and Zambia’s Babra Banda. The NFF also highlighted Nnadozie’s pivotal role in Nigeria’s qualification for the 2024 Women’s AFCON and their return to the Olympic Games after a 16-year absence.
If both Lookman and Nnadozie claim victory, it would mark the third time Nigeria has produced both winners in the same year, following Nwankwo Kanu and Mercy Akide-Udoh in 1999, and Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala in 2023.
