On Wednesday, September 4, the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or trophy was announced. Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman has been nominated for this award.
The 26-year-old Atalanta player is the only African on the shortlist of 30 players for the award, as announced by France Football Magazine. Atalanta is based in Italy.
Lookman played a crucial role in Atalanta’s first-ever European trophy win last season, scoring a hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen. He scored 17 goals and made 11 assists for Atalanta last season.
He was also a key part of the Super Eagles’ run to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final in Côte d’Ivoire earlier this year, scoring two goals as Nigeria finished as runners-up.
This year’s Ballon d’Or list features many players from the Spanish national team, which won Euro 2024, and the Real Madrid team, which won the UEFA Champions League.
Notable names on the list include Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappé.
For the first time since 2003, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are not on the list. Messi, who won his eighth Ballon d’Or in 2022, now plays for Inter Miami in the United States, and Ronaldo, a five-time winner, plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Their absence marks the end of an era. They dominated the award from 2008 to 2018 until Luka Modric broke their streak in 2019.
Both players have moved away from European football. Messi now plays in Major League Soccer in the United States, and Ronaldo plays in the Saudi Pro League in Saudi Arabia.
This marks the end of a historic era in football as the Ballon d’Or prepares to crown a new winner.
The main award ceremony will be held on October 28 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France.
Full list of 2024 Ballon d’Or nominees:
1. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
2. Phil Foden (Manchester City)
3. Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
4. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
5. Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
6. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
7. Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao)
8. Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen)
9. Artem Dovbik (Roma)
10.Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
11.Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
12.Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig/Barcelona)
13.Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
14.Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
15.Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)
16.Rodri (Manchester City)
17.Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
18.Declan Rice (Arsenal)
19.Vitinha (PSG)
20.Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
21.Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid)
22.Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
23.Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
24.Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan)
25.William Saliba (Arsenal)
26.Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
27.Ademola Lookman (Atalanta)
28.Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)
29.Kylian Mbappe (PSG/Real Madrid)
30.Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen)
