Ademola Lookman finished 14th in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings during a glamorous ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on Monday, where Manchester City midfielder Rodri Hernández took home the prestigious award.
The Atalanta striker was the sole African nominee among the 30-player shortlist unveiled by France Football on October 26, earning recognition for his historic hat-trick that led his club to its first-ever Europa League trophy.
“It’s special to be included in the list and even more significant to be the only African,” Lookman told BBC Sport Africa. “We have accomplished great things this year, both at club and national levels. Being recognized as one of the contenders is a tremendous achievement.”
The 27-year-old enjoyed an impressive season, netting 11 goals and providing seven assists in 31 Serie A appearances, while also scoring three goals to help Nigeria reach the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. The final rankings saw Rodri at the top, followed by Kylian Mbappe in sixth, Lautaro Martinez in seventh, Lamine Yamal in eighth, Toni Kroos in ninth, and Harry Kane rounding out the top 10.
Phil Foden came in 11th, with Florian Wirtz and Dani Olmo finishing 12th and 13th, respectively. Lookman was followed in 14th place by Nico Williams (15th), Granit Xhaka (16th), Federico Valverde (17th), Emiliano Martinez (18th), Martin Odegaard (19th), and Hakan Calhanoglu (20th).
The remaining rankings were filled by Bukayo Saka (21st), Antonio Rudiger (22nd), Ruben Dias (23rd), William Saliba (24th), Cole Palmer (25th), Declan Rice (26th), Vitinha (27th), and Alejandro Grimaldo (28th), while Mats Hummels and Artem Dovbyk shared the 29th position.
Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati won the women’s Ballon d’Or, and 17-year-old Lamine Yamal took home the Kopa Trophy for the best young player. Spain’s Jennifer Hermoso received the Socrates Award for her humanitarian efforts.
Other award recipients included Emiliano Martinez (Yachine Trophy for best goalkeeper), Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe (joint winners of the Gerd Muller Trophy for top scorers), Emma Hayes (Women’s Coach of the Year), and Carlo Ancelotti (Men’s Coach of the Year).
Real Madrid and Barcelona were named men’s and women’s clubs of the year, respectively.
