Former Super Eagles head coach,José Peseiro has congratulated Ademola Lookman on being selected the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) 2024 African Footballer of the Year.
Peseiro also thanked the Super Eagles for their teamwork, which contributed to Lookman’s victory and ensured that another Super Eagle replaced the previous winner.
Peseiro, who led the Super Eagles to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire, shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday. He described the award as well-deserved, reflecting Lookman’s importance to Nigerian and African football.
Peseiro’s tweet read: “Congratulations @molalookman on winning the CAF Player of the Year 2024 award! A well-deserved recognition of your incredible talent and your significance to Nigeria and African football.”
The Portuguese coach emphasized the collective role of Lookman’s teammates in the Super Eagles, whose character and performance at the 2023 AFCON contributed to this individual honor.
He added: “It is also important to highlight the role of the Nigerian national team, whose collective efforts contributed to this individual award, as well as the remarkable achievement of a Super Eagle winning the award for the second consecutive year, following @victorosimhen9’s victory last year. Many congratulations!”
Peseiro’s tenure with the Super Eagles ended after their silver medal performance at the 2023 AFCON due to disagreements with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over salary demands.
This marks the third instance of Nigerian players winning the CAF Player of the Year award back-to-back. Rashidi Yekini became the first Nigerian to win in 1993, followed by Emmanuel Amuneke in 1994. Nwankwo Kanu won in 1996 and was succeeded by Victor Ikpeba in 1997. Kanu went on to win the award again in 1999, making him the only Nigerian to claim the honor twice.
