Nigeria’s rave-of-the-moment, Ademola Lookman, has yet again been named in a 30-man list for the Best Men’s Player of the Year for the 2024 Globe Soccer awards as the Atalanta and Super Eagles striker will battle a strong field of soccer stars including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Bukayo Saka Mohammed Salah and 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, Rodri.
The Globe Soccer Awards will be presented on December 27, 2024, at the prestigious ceremony in Dubai.
Lookman who finished strongly as the 14th best player at the recent 2024 Ballon d’Or Awards in Paris, has been so referenced for his remarkable performance in recent times for both club and country.
Last season, his stunning hat-trick in the 3-0 massacre of Bayer Leverkusen, helped Atalanta to their first Europa League trophy , The 27-year-old was also in the mix for Nigeria as his three goals partly took the Super Eagles to the Final Match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) where Nigeria lost to the hosts, Cote d’Ivoire.
In the on-going Serie A campaign, Lookman is one of the standout performers for Atalanta hence his nomination for the iconic end-of-year gala award ceremony did not come as a surprise as he has already been seen as the next African Footballer of the Year at the forthcoming CAF Awards Gala on December 16th in Marrakech, Morocco.
Similarly, Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami in the MLS, has been in excellent form throughout this season. Along with former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez, Messi is the joint-top scorer for his club this season with 21 goals. The Argentine is also on top of the list of players with the most assists at his club – 11.
The 37-year-old also leads the charts for Inter Miami this season in the total contributions statistic. He comes first with 32 contributions (goals + assists) in the entire league alongside Gabriel Pec of LA Galaxy. It is no wonder, therefore, that Messi has been named on this list.
Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, plays for Al-Nasr in the Saudi Pro League. He has made a total of 85 appearances for the club since moving there from Manchester United in 2023, in which he has scored 74 goals. Ronaldo has been in fine fettle in the SPL season, scoring six goals in nine matches and bagging two assists.
Meanwhile, Premier League champions Manchester City dominate the final list of nominations for the 2024 Globe Soccer awards with five names nominated this year.
Pep Guardiola and his side followed up a historic Treble success with yet another blockbuster campaign across the 2023/24 season with success across all of the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, and the Premier League. Manchester City’s English Premier League triumph also made history within English football, as they became the first side ever to claim the top-flight crown in four consecutive seasons having won the title in 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24.
Success at the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia also meant that Manchester City would retain the title of world champions right through until the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
Those mammoth achievements would also play an integral role in Rodri going on to win the Ballon d’Or for 2024, defeating competitions from the likes of Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, and his own teammate, Erling Haaland.
But recognition for Manchester City’s remarkable successes and performances do not stop there, as the club has now been nominated for a number of top-level prizes at the Globe Soccer awards – to be handed out later this year.
As we close in on another edition of the Globe Soccer awards held annually in Dubai, here is the full list of all the nominations handed out across six different categories.
Best Men’s Player of the Year: Nicolo Barella, Jude Bellingham, Hakan Calhanoglu, Dani Carvajal, Artem Dovbyk, Phil Foden, Antoine Griezmann, Alejandro Grimaldo, Viktor Gyokeres, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Toni Kroos, Robert Lewandowski, Ademola Lookman, Emiliano Martinez, Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Dani Olmo, Cole Palmer, Rodri, Rodrygo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bukayo Saka, Mohamed Salah, William Saliba, Federico Valverde, Vinicius Jr., Vitinha, Nico Williams, Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka, Lamine Yamal.
Best Men’s Club of the Year
Al Ahly, Al-Ain, Atalanta, Atletico Mineiro, Bayer Leverkusen, Botafogo, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Olympiacos, PSG, Real Madrid, Sporting CP.
Best Coach of the Year
Xabi Alonso, Carlo Ancelotti, Mikel Arteta, Luis Enrique, Gian Piero Gasperini, Pep Guardiola, Simone Inzaghi, Lionel Scaloni.
Best Midfielder of the Year
Nicolo Barella, Jude Bellingham, Hakan Calhanoglu, Toni Kroos, Dani Olmo, Cole Palmer, Rodri, Federico Valverde, Vitinha, Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka.
Best Forward of the Year
Artem Dovbyk, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Vinicius Junior, Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal.
Emerging Player of the Year
Pau Cubarsi, Desire Doue, Alejandro Garnacho, Arda Guler, Kobbie Mainoo, Joao Neves, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Savinho, Lamine Yamal, Kenan Yildiz.
Source:The Nation
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