CAF POTY: Guinean Expert Backs Guirassy for Historic Win Over Lookman, Gives Reason

• Super Eagles star Ademola Lookman is the leading contender for the 2024 CAF Men's Player of the Year Award
• The Atalanta star faces competition from four other contenders after CAF reduced the nominees list from 10
• A Guinean football expert has explained why Borussia Dortmund forward Serhou Guirassy should win the award

Ademola Lookman is the favourite nominee for the 2024 CAF Men's Player of the Year, but a Guinean football expert has explained why the award should go to another nominee.

Lookman is up against four other contenders: Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea and Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy, Ivory Coast and Brighton’s Simon Adingra and South Africa and Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.

The Super Eagles star is seen as a favourite after an impressive year for Atalanta, culminating in a historic UEFA Europa League win and AFCON 2023 final for Nigeria.

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Guinean expert names CAF POTY

Guinean football expert Oumar Dieng has backed his compatriot Guirassy to scoop the top prize and explained why he should be ahead of Nigerian star Lookman.

“The criteria are clear. Individual performances are weighed after the collective ones. If we consider the former, the Guinean is ahead of his rival, but looking at the latter, Lookman has the edge,” he told Ledjely.

“We hope that the juries will make the decision in our favour, which will bring pride to all Guineans since we have not won this award for a long time.

“Guirassy would then become the second Guinean after Cherif Souleymane in 1972 to win the African Ballon d'Or.”

As noted by Transfermarkt, Guirassy scored 30 goals last season compared to Lookman's 17. The Bundesliga forward has 10 already this season, compared to the Serie A star's nine.

The tall forward’s goals helped VfB Stuttgart qualify for the UEFA Champions League this season, while Lookman broke Atalanta’s trophy drought.

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Lookman misses out on FIFPRO World XI shortlist

Briefly News reported that the English-born attacker, who switched allegiance to Nigeria in 2021, played a key role in the Super Eagles’ journey to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, his first major international tournament.

FIFPRO released an official statement detailing the selection process for its unique award, where players themselves vote for the best XI.

The lineup includes the top goalkeeper, three defenders, midfielders, and forwards, with the 11th spot going to the outfield player with the most votes regardless of position.

Source: Legit.ng