Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman and Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie are leading Nigeria’s bid for honours at this year’s CAF Awards, having made the final shortlist in their respective categories.
The awards will be presented on Monday in Marrakesh, Morocco.
Nnadozie is in contention for two prestigious awards: the Women’s Player of the Year, alongside Morocco’s Sanaa Mssoudy and Zambia’s Babra Banda, and the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year, where she is a favourite for a back-to-back win. The Paris FC shot-stopper’s stellar performances have made her a top contender.
Lookman, on the other hand, faces stiff competition in the Men’s Player of the Year category. The 27-year-old will vie for the top honour against Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra, PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams.
Both Nnadozie and Lookman will aim to follow in the footsteps of their Nigerian teammates: Victor Osimhen, the current Men’s Player of the Year, and six-time winner Asisat Oshoala, who has dominated the women’s category.
In addition to individual nominations, both the Super Eagles and Super Falcons have been shortlisted for CAF National Team of the Year. The Super Eagles are up against AFCON 2023 winners Ivory Coast and South Africa, while the Super Falcons will compete with Morocco and South Africa’s Banyana Banyana.
The Super Eagles earned their nomination for their impressive AFCON campaign earlier this year, where they advanced from the group stage and defeated Cameroon, Angola, and South Africa before narrowly losing to Ivory Coast in the final. They also topped their group in the qualifiers for AFCON 2025.