Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman has emerged as one of the leading performer at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, topping the goalscorers chart with two goals and two assists after Nigeria’s opening two group matches.
The Atalanta star opened his AFCON account with a decisive strike in Nigeria’s 2–1 victory over Tanzania, before following it up with another brilliant goal in Saturday night’s thrilling 3–2 win over Tunisia. In addition to his goals, Lookman provided two assists against the Carthage Eagles, a performance that earned him the Man of the Match award.
His all-round contribution has been central to Nigeria’s qualification for the knockout stages, underlining his importance to head coach Éric Chelle’s attacking setup.
Lookman currently leads a competitive field that includes Elias Achouri of Tunisia and Nicolas Jackson of Senegal, who have also scored two goals each. Mohamed Salah has recorded one goal and one assist, while Hannibal Mejbri and Alex Iwobi have each contributed two assists so far in the tournament.
The former African Best Player has once again demonstrated his class on the continental stage, with his performances placing him firmly among the standout players of AFCON 2025 as the Super Eagles continue their quest for a fourth African title.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
