Atalanta’s Nigerian striker Ademola Lookman was named Africa’s best player of the year on Monday, the first time he has won the trophy awarded by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after his successful campaign with the Italian team , winner of the last edition of the Europa League.
The award for the best African female soccer player went to Zambian Barbra Banda, forward for the Orlando Pride of the United States league, who is also making her debut on the list.
CAF presented its annual awards at a gala held at the Congress Palace in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.
Lookman, 27, is competing for the African ‘ballon d’or’ along with Moroccan Achraf Hakimi (PSG), Ivorian Simon Adingra (Brighton), Guinean Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund) and South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns). ), who took home two statuettes, including best goalkeeper.
The Atalanta winger replaced Galatasaray’s Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen and Senegalese Sadio Mané, winner in 2022 when he played for Liverpool, as the best player on the continent.
In the women’s category, Banda, 24, took the baton from Nigerian forward Asisat Oshoala, who won it in the last three editions since 2019 – in 2020 and 2021 there were none due to the pandemic – when she was a member of Barcelona.
After four years in the Chinese league, the star of the Zambian national team signed in March for Orlando Pride, which became the second most expensive transfer in the history of women’s football (about 700,000 euros).
Banda, who achieved a third hat-trick in an Olympic match at the Paris Games, is competing for the title with Moroccan Sanaa Mssoudy, who plays for AS FAR in her country’s league, and Nigerian Chiamaka Nnadozie, from Paris FC, who settled for the trophy for the best goalkeeper.
The best coach is Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé, and in the women’s category, Lami Boumehdi, who manages TP Mazembe, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is considered the best women’s club in Africa.
The best men’s team is the Egyptian Al Ahly (Egypt), champion of the African Champions League for the fourth time in five years.
THE CAF AWARDS
– Best player: Ademola Lookman (Nigeria / Atalanta)
– Best player: Barbra Banda (Zambia / Orlando Pride)
– Best coach: Emerse Faé (Ivory Coast)
– Best coach: Lamia Boumehdi (Morocco / TP Mazembe)
– Goal of the year: Cristovao Mabululu (Angola / Al Ahly)
– Best goalkeeper: Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)
– Best goalkeeper: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria / Paris FC)
– Best young player: Lamine Camara (Senegal / AS Monaco)
– Best young player: Doha El Madani (Morocco / AS FAR)
– Men’s national team: Ivory Coast
– Women’s national team: Nigeria
– Men’s Club of the Year: Al Ahly (Egypt)
– Women’s Club of the Year: TP Mazembe (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
– Best interclub player: Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)
– Best interclub player: Sanaa Mssoudy (Morocco / AS FAR).
– Best referee: Mutaz Ibrahim (Libya)
– Best referee: Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco).
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
