CAF Awards: Cameroon star backs Ademola Lookman for 2024 Crown

By Monsurah Olatunji

Cameroon international Flavien Enzo Boyomo has expressed his support for Ademola Lookman to succeed Victor Osimhen as the CAF Player of the Year 2024. The prestigious award ceremony is scheduled to take place on December 16 in Morocco.

Boyomo, a defender for Spain’s Osasuna, recently began his international career with the Cameroon national team. Born in Toulouse, France, the 23-year-old centre-back holds dual nationality, similar to Lookman, who was born to Nigerian parents in England.

In an interview with ESPN Africa, Boyomo was asked for his pick for the upcoming African Player of the Year award, and he quickly identified Lookman as the front-runner.

“I’ll say Lookman. He won the Europa League, so I think he’s the one with the best chance to win it this year,” Boyomo stated confidently.

Lookman has indeed been in sensational form for both club and country, making him a strong contender for the award. The 27-year-old forward played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, scoring three goals—the most by any player in the squad—to help the Super Eagles secure a silver medal.

The former Fulham forward further solidified his place among Africa’s elite when he made history as the first player to score a hat-trick in a Europa League final, leading Atalanta to their first-ever European title.

His remarkable performances have earned him several accolades and nominations, including the Globe Soccer Award and a place on FIFA’s radar.

Lookman also won the Best African International Player award at the Ghana Football Awards and finished 14th in the prestigious Ballon d’Or rankings—making him the only African player in the top 30.

As such, he is widely considered the favorite to be named CAF’s Men’s Player of the Year for 2024.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.

See Full Bio