Benin Republic’s head coach, Gernot Rohr, has voiced strong support for Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman, admitting that the Atalanta winger is a leading contender for the prestigious CAF Footballer of the Year award.
Rohr’s comments come as anticipation builds for the announcement of the winner, with Lookman set to face stiff competition from other African football stars, including Nigeria’s William Troost-Ekong, Footballrover reports.
The battle for the African title is fierce, with Lookman, Troost-Ekong, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams all in contention.
Despite this, Rohr’s endorsement has positioned Lookman as a top contender, especially following a standout year where he played a crucial role in Nigeria’s runner-up finish at the Africa Cup of Nations and Atalanta’s Europa League success.
Rohr highlights Lookman’s stellar year as key to his CAF player of the year bid
Rohr, who previously managed several of Nigeria’s top footballers, praised Lookman’s consistency and labelled him the best African player in the running for the prestigious award.
Reflecting on the Atalanta star’s contributions, the Benin boss fondly remembered the forward’s memorable two-goal performance in Nigeria’s 3-0 victory over Benin in the AFCON qualifiers.
“For me, Lookman is the best one in Africa to win the golden award for the footballer of the year; he is a fantastic player. But I hope he will not score against us (on Thursday) like he did in the last game in Uyo,” Rohr told the NationSport.
Meanwhile, Rohr also declared that the match against Nigeria is a crucial one, recalling the painful loss in Uyo, which had a negative impact on the team’s spirit.
He emphasised the need to move past that defeat and approach the upcoming match with unity, as they aimed for a positive result.
He also noted that while Rwanda was their immediate focus, Nigeria had already practically qualified, and he hoped the match would be as exciting and spectacular as the one in Abidjan against Nigeria in June.
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