Sports News of Tuesday, 29 October 2024

Source: www.mynigeria.com

2024 Ballon d'Or: List of top 8 players Ademola Lookman finished ahead of on ranking including Cole Palmer, Saka, Rudiger

Ademola Lookman finished 14th in the Ballon d'Or rankings Ademola Lookman finished 14th in the Ballon d'Or rankings

After an incredible campaign with Atalanta and the Super Eagles, Nigeria's Ademola Lookman was voted the 14th best player at the Ballon d'Or ceremony held at the Theatre du Chatelet on Monday, October 28.

Lookman guided Atalanta to their first-ever European title after scoring a historic hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final.

On the international level, the 27-year-old helped the Super Eagles reach the final of the 2023 African Cup of Nations, scoring three crucial goals in the knockout stages.

The former Leicester City man finished last season with 17 goals and 10 assists across all competitions for Atalanta.

Lookman's stellar campaign earned him a ranking above some of the big names in European football.

Here's a look at the top stars Lookman beat on the official ranking released by France Football:

Nico Williams (15) - Spain and Athletic Club de Bilbao

Federico Valverde (17) - Uruguay and Real Madrid

Emiliano Martinez (18) - Argentina and Aston Villa

Martin Odegaard (19) - Norway and Arsenal

Bukayo Saka (21) - England and Arsenal

Antonio Rudiger (22) - Germany and Real Madrid

Cole Palmer (25) - England and Chelsea

Declan Rice (26) - England and Arsenal