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Ademola Lookman has now been snubbed from both the FIFA The Best Men's Footballer of the Year and FIFPro XI nominations despite being the CAF POTY favourite
The 2024 FIFPro Men's World XI nominees were unveiled, celebrating football’s elite talents. However, the list naturally stirred controversy as fans questioned the omission of Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman, despite his exceptional performances for both club and country over the past year.
FIFPro’s list sparks debate
The list of 26 nominees, which will be whittled down to the first 11, consisted of eight of the top forwards in world football.
The forwards included were Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Cole Palmer, Cristiano Ronaldo, Vinicius Junior, and Lamine Yamal.
However, there was no space for Nigerian sensation Lookman, who, after guiding Atalanta to the Europa League, became a favourite for the 2024 CAF Player of the Year.
Lookman enjoyed a remarkable 2023/24 season, playing a pivotal role in Nigeria’s run to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final and was instrumental in Atalanta's historic Europa League triumph, notably scoring a hat trick in the final.
The 27-year-old forward scored 17 goals and 10 assists last season and has made a blistering start to the current campaign with nine goals and five assists in just 15 appearances.
Fans slam FIFPro’s decision to snub Lookman
These achievements led many to view his exclusion from the FIFPro Men's World XI nominee list as unjust.
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Many accused the voting process of favouritism, particularly toward established stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, whose inclusion drew sharp criticism.
Fans on social media didn’t hold back, with one user on X (formerly Twitter) posting, “FIFPRO did not nominate Ademola Lookman in world best eleven. AFCON finalist, Europa League winner, hat trick in Europa League final. Is it because he's African???”
Another commented, “Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have done nothing and do not deserve to be on this list ahead of players like Ademola Lookman.”
This isn’t the first time major awards have faced accusations of bias, with fans and analysts alike having long called for greater representation of players who are not mainstream favourites.
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