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EFE
Atalanta’s Nigerian striker Ademola Lookman was named Africa’s best player of the year on Monday, the first time he has won the trophy awarded by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after his successful campaign with the Italian team, winner of the last edition of the Europa League.
The award for best African female soccer player went to Zambian Barbra Banda, forward for the Orlando Pride of the United States league, who is also making her debut on the list.
The CAF presented its annual awards at a gala held at the Congress Palace in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.
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Lookman, 27, was competing for the African ‘ballon d’or’ with the Moroccan Achraf Hakimi (PSG), the Ivorian Simon Adingra (Brighton), the Guinean Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund) and the South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns) , who took home two statuettes, including best goalkeeper.
The Atalanta winger succeeds Galatasaray’s Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen and Senegalese Sadio Mané, winner in 2022 when he played for Liverpool, as the best player on the continent.
In the women’s category, Banda, 24, takes the baton from the Nigerian forward Asisat Oshoala, who won it in the last three editions since 2019 – in 2020 and 2021 there were no due to the pandemic – when she was a member of Barcelona.
After four years in the Chinese league, the star of the Zambian national team signed last March for Orlando Pride, becoming the second most expensive transfer in the history of women’s football (about 700,000 euros).
Banda, who achieved the third hat-trick in an Olympic match at the Paris Games, was competing for the title with the Moroccan Sanaa Mssoudy, who plays with AS FAR in her country’s league, and the Nigerian Chiamaka Nnadozie, from Paris FC , who settled for the trophy for best goalkeeper.
The best coach has been the Ivory Coast coach, Emerse Faé, and in the women’s category, Lami Boumehdi, who directs TP Mazembe, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, considered the best women’s club in Africa.
The best men’s team has been the Egyptian Al Ahly (Egypt), champion of the African Champions League for the fourth time in five years.
THE CAF AWARDS
– Best player: Ademola Lookman (Nigeria / Atalanta)
– Best player: Barbra Banda (Zambia / Orlando Pride)
– Best coach: Emerse Faé (Ivory Coast)
– Best coach: Lamia Boumehdi (Morocco / TP Mazembe)
– Goal of the year: Cristovao Mabululu (Angola / Al Ahly)
– Best goalkeeper: Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)
– Best goalkeeper: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria / Paris FC)
– Best young player: Lamine Camara (Senegal / AS Monaco)
– Best young player: Doha El Madani (Morocco / AS FAR)
– Men’s national team: Ivory Coast
– Women’s national team: Nigeria
– Men’s Club of the Year: Al Ahly (Egypt)
– Women’s Club of the Year: TP Mazembe (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
– Best interclub player: Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)
– Best interclub player: Sanaa Mssoudy (Morocco / AS FAR).
– Best referee: Mutaz Ibrahim (Libya)
– Best referee: Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco).
