Ademola Lookman was named the CAF African Footballer of the Year on Monday at an awards ceremony in Marrakech, Morocco after a stellar season with Atlanta and Nigeria national teams.

The Atalanta forward saw off competition from Ivorian Simon Adingra, Guinea's Serhou Guirassy, Achraf Hakimi of Morocco and South Africa's Ronwen Williams.

Lookman is the second consecutive Nigerian to claim the award after Victor Osimhen in 2023.

Lookman, 27, scored a hat trick in the Europa League final to earn the Serie A club their first-ever European silverware, and only the second major trophy in their 117-year history.

The former RB Leipzig, Leicester and Fulham forward also scored three times as Nigeria reached the final of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, where they were edged out by Sebastian Haller's late goal for the Ivory Coast in the final.

Lookman scored 17 goals and contributed 10 assists in 45 games across all competitions for Atalanta in the 2023-24 season and has made a similarly productive start to this campaign, finding the net 11 times in 19 club games as Gian Piero Gasperini's team sit two points clear of Napoli at the summit of Serie A.

The 'Nigerian Prince' mounted the podium and greeted in Yotuba language. 

Details later...