Lookman Over Boniface, any other player for Africa Player of the Year award

Following Victor Osimhen’s historic win at the 2023 Africa Player of the Year awards, ending Nigeria’s 24-year drought, the exceptional performances of Nigerian players in the 2023/24 season suggest that the nation could secure the prestigious title once again in 2024.

Two Nigerian players stand out: Ademola Lookman and Victor Boniface. Coincidentally, both faced off in the UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday, 22 June, in Dublin at the Aviva Stadium. At the end of the match, it was Lookman’s name that was on everyone’s lips. His stellar performance, scoring a hat trick, led Atalanta to their first-ever European title, ending a 61-year drought and cementing his name in football history.

“I’ve always had confidence in my ability to create, to score goals, to help my teammates,” the 26-year-old said in the post-match press conference. “In the past two years, I’ve been able to take my game to a whole new level. Maybe [my best form] could have come earlier, but it’s come now. This is just the beginning. I hope for more nights like this and to just keep getting better and better.”

The UEFA official website revealed Lookman was the fifth player to achieve this feat, joining greats like Ferenc Puskas, Alfredo Di Stefano, Pierino Prati, and Jupp Heynckes.

On the opposite side were both Boniface and Nathan Tella for Bayer Leverkusen, though both started on the substitutes’ bench. Boniface transferred to the German side in the summer of 2023 for about $22 million and immediately fit into Xavi Alonso’s philosophy.

The 22-year-old assisted Jeremie Frimpong for Leverkusen’s first goal of the season, scored two goals on matchday two and followed this with another brace and assist on matchday 3. His performance in the opening month earned him August’s Rookie Award. He did not slow down and won consecutive Rookie awards for September and October.

By the time he left Leverkusen to join the Super Eagles for AFCON, Boniface had scored 10 goals and created seven assists, propelling Die Werkself to the top of the Bundesliga standings. Unfortunately, the 22-year-old was sidelined for about 3–4 months because of injury, but interestingly, Leverkusen thrived during his absence and secured their first-ever Bundesliga triumph.

That episode proved, according to Yemi Adesanya, that while Boniface’s early season form catalyzed Leverkusen’s success, the team did not entirely depend on the Nigerian.

“You have to take into account that Boniface was out for about four months, right? And in those four months, Leverkusen could still do what they could do. They even bought a replacement for him and found a way to play without a proper striker.

For Adesanya, “It is not even up for debate,” that any other player is in the equation for the CAF POTY award.

He added, “Lookman has been in three finals this year alone. Cup of Nations, Coppa Italia and this Europe League final and you can’t write about Nigeria’s run to the AFCON final without him.

“And then, obviously, with that performance in the final. If POTY had been given before for one match and yeah, I am referencing [Nwankwo] Kanu’s performance against Chelsea in 2000, then it cannot be anyone else unless we want to be funny,” Adesanya added.

For Remi Sulola, Head of the Sports Desk at The Cable, Lookman’s performances for the Super Eagles give him a clear edge over Boniface and all other contenders.

“Lookman deserves to win the CAF African Footballer of the Year Award, looking at his performance at the 2023 African Cup of Nations, where he netted three goals for the Super Eagles. He was also named among the best eleven after the competition,” Sulola noted.

But there must still be some contenders, even though names like Victor Osimhen, and Mohamed Salah have had average seasons; to which Adesanya mentioned Brahim Diaz of Real Madrid.

“A player I can consider is one that just changed allegiance- Brahim Diaz. He has contributed some critical performances off the bench for Madrid this season.

“If, for instance, he goes into the Champions League final and comes off the bench, and then he impacts the match and does something, it will put him in the conversation,” he added.

Sulola added that Lookman was far ahead of any contender because of the important roles he has played for both club and country.

“If you look at his performance in Europe for his club, Atalanta, he single-handedly secured them the Europa League title with that spine-tingling hat-trick.

READ ALSO:UPDATED: Lookman scores historic hattrick, helps Atalanta win Europa League

“He’s the first player ever to score a hat-trick in a Europa League final. So, what are we talking about here? I’m not saying Boniface didn’t perform well, but Lookman deserves it more because of his performances in the green, white-green jersey and the blue and black of La Dea.”

Ademola Lookman’s consistent performance in high-stakes matches for both club and country, especially his game-changing contributions, makes him a strong contender for the 2024 African Player of the Year award. However, the Confederation of African Football’s history of unpredictable decisions, sometimes influenced by single outstanding performances, could potentially affect the outcome.