Ademola Lookman is, by consensus, front-runner in the race to replace compatriot Victor Osimhen as CAF's Player of the Year.
This standing is reward for his exploits in 2024 that included winning the UEFA Europa League final for his club, Atalanta, inspiring La Dea's blistering start to the current Serie A campaign, and helping power his country, Nigeria, to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
With impressive performances for both club and country, the 27-year-old has earned recognition on the global stage, including a notable Ballon d'Or ranking, and a spot at the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards.
That notwithstanding, the other four shortlisted nominees for the CAF POTY award — Achraf Hakimi, Simon Adingra, Serhou Guirassy, and Ronwen Williams — all have pretty solid cases going for them, too.
Below, we run through the respective arguments that may well propel each of the aforementioned past Lookman.
Achraf Hakimi: Olympic bronze medal
Hakimi had a good year for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), during which Ligue 1 was won and the UEFA Champions League semi-finals reached.
However, it was in his national colours that the full-back made his biggest mark — and, no, we are not talking about the AFCON, where Morocco's Atlas Lions underwhelmed.
It was, instead, at the Olympics in the summer, where Morocco became the first-ever North African side to win Olympic medals (bronze) in football.
That success ultimately owed a lot to Soufiane Rahimi's top-scoring tally of eight strikes.
That said, Hakimi's shift on the pitch and leadership as captain contributed a great deal, providing the inspiration, experience, and quality Tarik Sektioui's team needed to advance as far as they did.
Simon Adingra: Ivory Coast AFCON triumph
The 2023/24 campaign saw Adingra introduce himself to Premier League audiences, and although he did emerge from that debut season with some fond memories, the highlight of his year came while he was on international duty.
At the AFCON, hosted by his native Ivory Coast, Adingra only featured once in the group stage, suffering a shock 4-0 trouncing by Equatorial Guinea that seemed to condemn the Elephants to the embarrassment of first-round elimination.
Having secured a miracle to stay alive, however, the Ivorians came back strongly in the knock-out stages and went on to win the whole thing.
Adingra was instrumental in that run, netting in the 2-1 defeat of neighbouring Mali in the Round of 16 and assisting both goals with which the final, against Lookman's Nigeria, was won.
For his efforts, the 22-year-old was named the competition's Best Young Player, having made quite an impression on his maiden tournament outing.
Serhou Guirassy: Africa's best scorer in Europe
The France-born Guinea striker had gone under the radar for much of his career into his late twenties, but his spell at Stuttgart, especially last season, finally propelled him into global consciousness.
Thirty goals in as many games across all competitions, as the German club rose from the brink of relegation in the previous season to Champions League qualification, sealed his place as Africa's most prolific forward in Europe last term.
Such outstanding output earned him a move to a Bundesliga side of greater repute, Borussia Dortmund, Champions League losing finalists last season, and he has started his stint there in fine form, fetching 10 goals in just 16 appearances thus far.
Ronwen Williams: AFCON safe hands
African goalkeepers do not often get the attention of the wider world, with those who ply their trade on their home continent standing even less of a chance of doing so.
But South Africa and Mamelodi Sundowns’ Williams shattered that glass barrier this year, and in some style, thanks largely to a memorable AFCON where he put up a truly heroic performance.
Some brilliant goalkeeping in open play was only surpassed by Williams’ eye-catching stops from 12 yards, prevailing in two of three penalty shoot-outs (versus Cape Verde, quarter-final; DR Congo, third-place match) that he contested.
It earned him plaudits worldwide, the AFCON's Best Goalkeeper prize, and a Yashin Trophy nomination by Ballon d'Or organisers France Football.
