Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Dele Aiyenugba has hailed Ademola Lookman following his impressive finish in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings, naming him a better player than Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka.
Lookman secured fourteenth place in the rankings, ahead of prominent players like Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, and Martin Ødegaard, as well as talented Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer.
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Aiyenugba compares Lookman to Saka
Aiyenugba believes this is a great achievement for both the Atalanta forward and Nigeria.
“Finishing ahead of Saka and the other guys was a great one for him and Nigeria. He is a young player who is still growing, it is a great one for him and I am happy for him,” Aiyenugba said, speaking to allnigeriasoccer.com.
He continued, “To me, he is better than Saka, the way he plays, he plays from the wing. Saka also plays from the wing but can keep more of the ball, move and do more. Saka is Nigerian by blood but plays for England but for me, Lookman is better.
“Finishing fourteenth is a great achievement for Lookman for the first time he had a good run throughout last year and this season he is having a good run, he just scored a couple of goals last season.
He is still in his learning process and I think next time he can be number one.”
Lookman’s fourteenth-place finish makes him the third highest-ranked Super Eagles star in Ballon d’Or history, trailing only Victor Osimhen (8th in 2023) and Kanu Nwankwo (11th in 1996).
