Sports

Ademola Lookman Nominated for 2024 Ballon d’Or; Messi and Ronaldo Omitted: See List of Players Nominated

Published by Tope Fakinlede on September 4th, 2024.

Ademola Lookman Nominated for 2024 Ballon d’Or; Messi and Ronaldo Omitted: See List of Players Nominated

Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman has been included in the list of nominees for the 2024 Ballon d’Or. The 26-year-old Atalanta player stands out as the sole African nominee among 30 contenders for the prestigious award, as announced by France Football Magazine on Wednesday.

Lookman played a crucial role in Atalanta’s historic victory in the Europa League last season, netting a hat-trick in the final against Bayer Leverkusen. Over the past season, he recorded 17 goals and 11 assists for Atalanta. Additionally, Lookman was pivotal in Nigeria’s journey to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final in Côte d’Ivoire, where he scored twice, contributing to Nigeria’s runner-up finish.

This year’s Ballon d’Or shortlist features a strong presence from Spanish and Real Madrid players, following Spain’s Euro 2024 victory and Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League triumph. Noteworthy nominees include Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappé. In a notable shift, this is the first time since 2003 that neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo has been nominated for this award.

The full list of nominees includes:

– Jude Bellingham

– Hakan Çalhanoğlu

– Dani Carvajal

– Martin Ødegaard

– Dani Olmo

– Cole Palmer

– Rúben Dias

– Declan Rice

– Artem Dovbyk

– Rodri

– Phil Foden