Former Nigerian international Ikpe Ekong has disclosed that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) should be questioned should Ademola Lookman fail to win the 2024 Player of the Year Award.
Simon Adingra, Ronwen Williams, Serhou Guirassy, Ademola Lookman, and Achraf Hamiki are all up for the prestigious prize ahead of the ceremony in Marrakech, Morocco, on December 16.
Nigerian ex-international Ifeanyi Udeze stated that his ‘inside source’ disclosed that Morocco’s Hakimi is the leading contender for the coveted prize.
The defender has been incredible for French club Paris Saint-Germain and his country, Morocco.
He registered five goals and seven assists for the Parisians during the 2023/2024 season and has already scored three goals in the ongoing campaign.
On the other hand, many have tipped Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman to win the prize after the Atalanta forward helped the Super Eagles finish runners-up in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Lookman netted three goals at the tournament, including a brace against Cameroon in the second round and the only goal against Angola in the quarterfinal.
The 26-year-old scored a hat-trick in the Europa League final as Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 to win the prestigious title for the very first time.
Rumours that Hakimi could win the 2024 CAF Player of the Year Award did not go down well with ex-midfielder Ikpe Ekong.
The 46-year-old emphasised that Ademola Lookman is underrated, saying CAF should be questioned should the Nigerian star fail to win the award. Ekong said on Brila FM:
“Ademola Lookman is grossly underrated, even in Nigeria. If Lookman doesn’t win, CAF should be questioned because he has single-handedly delivered for both his club and the national team.”
Hakimi wins top award
Legit earlier reported that Achraf Hakimi has been presented with the 2024 Lion d’Or award.
Moroccan outlet Al-Montakhab handed out the prize as voted for by journalists and sports experts, who pick from 10 nominated stars.
It was gathered that the players are nominated based on multiple criteria, including the titles won club and the national team.
