Nigerian football fans eevrywhere were thrilled when Ademola Lookman earned a nomination for the prestigious Ballon d'Or 2024.
Come awards night, Lookman secured a 14th-place finish in the final rankings—a remarkable feat, marking the third-highest placement ever achieved by a Nigerian footballer.
But what has Ademola Lookman’s path to this milestone looked like?
Ademola Lookman transfer history: where is he playing now?
Born to Nigerian parents in South London, Ademola Lookman began his professional football journey with Charlton Athletic in the English capital.
Aside from a four-year spell with Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, Lookman spent the majority of his early career in the English Premier League, featuring for Everton and enjoying loan stints at Fulham and Leicester City.
In 2022, he made the move to Serie A, signing with Atalanta, where he has continued to impress with his performances.
His outstanding performances during the 2023/24 campaign sparked widespread transfer speculation, with Premier League side Arsenal and French giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) reportedly keen on acquiring his services.
Nonetheless, no move came to fruition, and Lookman remains in Bergamo, continuing to flourish for La Dea.
Ademola Lookman nominated for the Ballon d'Or 2024
If any African footballer was destined for a Ballon d’Or nomination in 2024, it was always going to be Lookman—especially after his historic hat-trick propelled Atalanta to UEFA Europa League glory.
Ultimately, Lookman emerged as the only African player on the 2024 Ballon d’Or nominees list, representing the continent’s lowest presence since 2015, when Ivorian icon Yaya Touré stood as the sole contender.
The Atalanta forward expressed both surprise and pride at the honour, viewing it as a reflection of his inspiring journey and unwavering commitment to excellence.
“I thought it was crazy when I saw my name in the 30 candidates for the Ballon d’Or. It’s crazy, and being the only African player on the list makes it even more special. I’m really proud of it. It’s an honour knowing where I’ve come from,” he said.
For Nigeria, Lookman's maiden nomination is especially satisfying, coming a year after Victor Osimhen — the reigning African Player of the Year — finished a respectable eighth in the final ranking. Prior to Osimhen, no Nigerian male had made it that far since Sunday Oliseh did in 1998.
Who were the Ballon d'Or winners in the previous edition?
At the most recent Ballon d'Or ceremony, held in Paris in October 2023, Lionel Messi claimed the men’s top honour for a record-extending eighth time, in recognition of his pivotal role in guiding Argentina to their third FIFA World Cup triumph.
In the women’s category, Aitana Bonmatí took home the prize, marking the third consecutive year a Spanish and Barcelona player has secured the accolade.
Emiliano Martínez (Argentina, Aston Villa) was awarded the Yashin Trophy as the best goalkeeper, while England’s Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/Borussia Dortmund) clinched the Kopa Trophy, edging out other highly rated under-21 talents.
Ademola Lookman Ballon d'Or ranking 2024
Lookman, like most players at the top of the game, would no doubt have dreamt of winning the Ballon d'Or at some point in his career, and he would probably not get any closer to doing so than he has this year.
Realistically, though, there was no chance of that happening — not with players like Rodri and Vinicius Jr leading the queue of favourites — and Lookman would, quite reasonably, have had more modest objectives in his sights.
A 14th-place ranking certainly met, if not surpassed, expectations, with Lookman ultimately finishing ahead of the likes of Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer.
It is a finish that has been bettered only by two Nigerians in Ballon d'Or history, and while Lookman probably would have wished to crack the top 10 — as compatriot Victor Osimhen did last year — the wide forward would still be proud of how high he ended up on the ranking.
Ademola Lookman's stats that ranked him among Africa's standout performers in 2024
No African player scored more non-penalty international goals in 2024 than Lookman's six.
During the business end of the 2023/24 season — April onwards — no player across Europe's ‘Big 5’ leagues recorded more goal contributions than Lookman's 14 (eight goals and six assists).
Lookman finished the 2023/24 campaign with 33 goal involvements for club and country; he started 2024/25 in similarly fine form, with 14 goals and seven assists to his name before a knee injury in late January 2025.
Ademola Lookman's career in five major facts you should know about
- Lookman represented three England junior teams (U-19, U-20 and U-21) before switching to play for Nigeria in 2022.
- Lookman is a world champion with England, at youth level, scoring thrice as the Young Lions roared to glory at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
- Lookman's debut goal in top-flight football was a real collector's item: the fourth in Everton's shock 4-0 victory over Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in January 2017.
- Lookman is the first player to score a hat-trick in a one-legged men's European final since Pierino Prati in 1969.
- At 26 — turning 27 in a few days — Lookman is the oldest Nigerian male to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or.
