By Felicia Udeji
At a star-studded Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday, Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman secured the 14th spot, emerging as the highest-ranked African on the list. Lookman’s recognition came after an impressive year with Italian club Atalanta, where he delivered a historic hat-trick to secure their first Europa League trophy, as reported by *Truth Live News*.
Reflecting on his achievement, Lookman shared his excitement with BBC Sport Africa: “It’s special being on the list and even more special being the only African.” He further noted the significance of this accomplishment, saying, “We have achieved great things this year, with club and country. To be recognised as one of the contenders is a great achievement.”
The ceremony saw Manchester City’s Rodri Hernández claim the prestigious Ballon d’Or, while Real Madrid stars Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham rounded out the top three.
Kylian Mbappe (sixth), Lautaro Martinez (seventh), Lamine Yamal (eighth), Toni Kroos (ninth), and Harry Kane completing the top 10.
Phil Foden finished 11th, while Florian Wirtz and Dani Olmo placed 12th and 13th, respectively. Behind Lookman in 14th were Nico Williams (15th), Granit Xhaka (16th), Federico Valverde (17th), Emiliano Martinez (18th), Martin Odegaard (19th), and Hakan Calhanoglu (20th).
The remaining positions 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 claimed the women’s Ballon d’Or, while 17-year-old Lamine Yamal won the Kopa Trophy for the best young player. Spain’s Jennifer Hermoso received the Socrates Award for humanitarian work.
Other winners 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.