Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has backed Ademola Lookman to win the prestigious African Player of the Year award after a sensational 12 months for both club and country.
The Atalanta forward has been unstoppable since moving to Italy, scoring a career-best 15 goals in his debut season before improving to 17 last term. His standout moment came in the Europa League final, where he netted an unforgettable hat-trick to help Atalanta secure their first-ever European title by beating an unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen.
Lookman’s form carried over to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where he scored three goals to help Nigeria reach the final, matching Troost-Ekong’s tally for the tournament.
Speaking with talkSPORT, Troost-Ekong praised Lookman’s brilliance and tipped him to be crowned Africa’s best at the upcoming CAF Awards on December 16.
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“I would say he’s arguably our best player and arguably the best player in Africa right now,” Troost-Ekong said. “On December 16, there will be the [African Player of the Year] ceremony, and I’m sure he’s going to win it.”
The Nigerian captain also highlighted Lookman’s consistency and growing stature in European football, making him a top prospect for the continent’s most prestigious individual prize.
“This season he’s been something else and at AFCON he was amazing,” Troost-Ekong added. “Everybody saw the hat-trick in the Europa League final, and there were a lot of rumours about big clubs which I know to be true. If I was any top club right now, I’d want him.”
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