“He’ll win matches for you” – Nigeria’s AFCON 2013-winning captain backs Lookman to win CAF Player of the Year Award

Former Super Eagles and Everton defender, Joseph Yobo, has backed Ademola Lookman to win the CAF Player of the Year Award, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Atalanta forward has had a brilliant year of football, leading the Super Eagles to the final of the AFCON 2023 tournament. He was also superb for his club side, reaching the Copa Italia final and crowning his season with a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League triumph over Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Lookman’s performance drew praise from Yobo, as the former Everton man mentioned the forward had grown in leaps and bounds since he started watching him.

“Lookman is a threat, He has so much talent, and I’ve known this for five years, but now, he’s much more mature. He was just unlucky not to win the AFCON. In the final, he wasn’t at his best, and Nigeria struggled. That shows just how important he is to the team. On his best day, he’ll win matches for you. If he doesn’t score he will assist and most importantly he’s improved his work rate. He tracks back, helps defensively, and understands his responsibilities on the pitch. He needs to keep doing that and what he’s achieved so far has already put him in the pole position for the African Player of the Year,” the former Super Eagles captain said in an interview with Brila.

Lookman continued his fine form with Nigeria during the September International break, scoring a brace against the Republic of Benin.