Several Nigerian footballers, including Ademola Lookman, William Troost-Ekong, Asisat Oshoala, and Paul Onuachu, have been nominated for the 2024 FIFA Best Awards.
The list was released on Friday by FIFA, with Lookman, who plays for Atalanta in Italy’s Serie A, earning a nomination in the Best Attacker category. He will compete against high-profile players like Vinicius Junior, Lamine Yamal, Bukayo Saka, Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Lookman, who led Atalanta to the Europa League title last season, has also started this campaign strongly, helping the Super Eagles reach the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final, where they narrowly lost to hosts Côte d’Ivoire. Additionally, he is in contention to win the CAF Player of the Year award for 2024, with the ceremony scheduled next month.
Nigeria’s stand-in captain, Troost-Ekong, has been named in the Best Defender category, where he joins notable names like Arsenal’s William Saliba, Manuel Akanji, Antonio Rüdiger, and Dani Carvajal.
Oshoala, a record multiple-time CAF Women’s Player of the Year, has been nominated for the newly introduced Marta Award, given for the best goal in women’s football. She is in contention for her acrobatic goal against Benfica in the Women’s Champions League in November 2024 while playing for Barcelona Femeni.
Onuachu, currently at Southampton, earned a nomination for the Puskas Award for the best goal in men’s football, thanks to his deft flick in Trabzonspor’s 2-1 win over Konyaspor on November 10, 2023.
In the men’s category, Lionel Messi headlines the nominees. The Inter Miami forward will compete against Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Toni Kroos, and Federico Valverde for the title of Best Men’s Player.
Fans and an expert panel will vote for the winners of the 2024 FIFA Best Awards. Voting is open on the FIFA website until December 2024.
Full List of FIFA Best Awards Nominees:
The Best FIFA Men’s Player Nominees:
Dani Carvajal (Spain), Real Madrid
Erling Haaland (Norway), Manchester City
Federico Valverde (Uruguay), Real Madrid
Florian Wirtz (Germany), Bayer Leverkusen
Jude Bellingham (England), Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappe (France), Paris Saint-Germain/Real Madrid
Lamine Yamal (Spain), Barcelona
Lionel Messi (Argentina), Inter Miami
Rodri (Spain), Manchester City
Toni Kroos (Germany), Real Madrid (now retired)
Vinicius Jr (Brazil), Real Madrid
The Best FIFA Women’s Player Nominees:
Aitana Bonmati (Spain), Barcelona
Barbra Banda (Zambia), Shanghai Shengli/Orlando Pride
Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway), Barcelona
Keira Walsh (England), Barcelona
Khadija Shaw (Jamaica), Manchester City
Lauren Hemp (England), Manchester City
Lindsey Horan (USA), Olympique Lyonnais
Lucy Bronze (England), Barcelona/Chelsea
Mallory Swanson (USA), Chicago Red Stars
Mariona Caldentey (Spain), Barcelona/Arsenal
Naomi Girma (USA), San Diego Wave
Ona Batlle (Spain), Barcelona
Salma Paralluelo (Spain), Barcelona
Sophia Smith (USA), Portland Thorns
Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi), Paris Saint-Germain/Olympique Lyonnais
Trinity Rodman (USA), Washington Spirit
The Best FIFA Women’s Coach Nominees:
Arthur Elias (Brazil), Brazil
Elena Sadiku (Sweden), Celtic
Emma Hayes (England), Chelsea/USA
Futoshi Ikeda (Japan), Japan
Gareth Taylor (England), Manchester City
Jonatan Giraldez (Spain), Barcelona/Washington Spirit
Sandrine Soubeyrand (France), Paris FC
Sonia Bompastor (France), Olympique Lyonnais/Chelsea
The Best FIFA Men’s Coach Nominees:
Carlo Ancelotti (Italy), Real Madrid
Lionel Scaloni (Argentina), Argentina
Luis de la Fuente (Spain), Spain
Pep Guardiola (Spain), Manchester City
Xabi Alonso (Spain), Bayer Leverkusen
The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper Nominees:
Alyssa Naeher (USA), Chicago Red Stars
Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany), Chelsea/NJ/NY Gotham
Ayaka Yamashita (Japan), INAC Kobe Leonessa/Manchester City
Cata Coll (Spain), Barcelona
Mary Earps (England), Manchester United/Paris Saint-Germain
The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper Nominees:
Andriy Lunin (Ukraine), Real Madrid
David Raya (Spain), Arsenal
Ederson (Brazil), Manchester City
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina), Aston Villa
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy), Paris Saint-Germain
Mike Maignan (France), AC Milan
Unai Simon (Spain), Athletic Club
