The newly crowned African Player of the Year, Ademola Lookman, expressed that being named the best player on the continent is an incredible honor.
The Nigerian forward, who plays for Atalanta in Italy, shared these sentiments during his acceptance speech at the prestigious ceremony organized by CAF in Marrakech, Morocco, on Monday.
“This award today is a blessing to me, to my family, to my nation, and to be recognised as the best player in Africa is something incredible and I am extremely proud of,” Lookman said.
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Reflecting on his challenges as a footballer just four years ago, the 27-year-old urged young people not to let past failures define their future.
“Just over four years ago I failed in front of the world, fast forward to four years I am the best player in Africa,” Lookman recalled.
“I want to say to the young children and young people watching this ‘don’t let your failures weigh you down that they break your wings, turn your pain into your power and continue to fight and continue to fly’, God bless!”
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Lookman triumphed over tough competition from South Africa’s Ronwen Williams, Côte d’Ivoire’s Simon Adingra, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, and Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy to claim the prestigious award.
He played a pivotal role in Atalanta’s historic achievement of winning their first-ever European trophy last season, notably scoring a hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen.
Additionally, the former Everton player was a key figure in the Super Eagles’ impressive run to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire earlier this year.
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