Ademola Lookman, Super Eagles winger, says his success as the 2024 CAF men’s player of the year came after he “failed in front of the world” four years prior.
Lookman spoke after receiving the award as the best African male footballer of 2024 in Marrakech, Morocco, on Monday.
The 27-year-old finished ahead of Achraf Hakimi, Simon Adingra, Ronwen Williams and Serhou Guirassy to win the coveted individual prize for male African footballers.
He followed in the footsteps of Victor Osimhen, who won the award in 2023.
Speaking at the ceremony, Lookman referenced his failure to convert a penalty for Everton in November 2020.
Lookman had the opportunity to earn a point for Fulham in their English Premier League (EPL) match against West Ham United. Instead, he failed to execute a Panenka penalty kick easily saved by Lukasz Fabianski as West Ham won 1-0.
The penalty attempt earned him mockery on social media, and Scott Parker, Fulham’s manager, ripped into the player in public.
“Just over four years ago I failed in front of the world. Fast forward four years, I’m the best player in Africa,” Lookman said after receiving the award.
“I want to say to the young children and people watching this: don’t let your failures weigh you down that they break your wings. Matter of fact, turn your pain into your power and continue to fight.
“Firstly. I want to thank the Almighty God for everything he has been doing in my life, and everything he has been blessing me with.
“I want to thank the president, I want to thank all my teammates- club and country. I want to thank them for all their support and love that they gave me.”
“This award today is a blessing to me, to my family, to my nation, and to be recognized as the best player in Africa. It’s something incredible and I’m extremely proud of.”
Lookman left Fulham after that season for RB Salzburg in Germany, where he continued to flap his wings before taking flight following his move to Atalanta in the summer of 2022.
