Nigerian fans flooded social media with celebrations for Ademola Lookman’s 14th-place finish at the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday night, using the moment to lightheartedly tease rival Ghanaians.
The longstanding rivalry between Ghana and Nigeria often spills over from sports into playful banter, with fans from both nations seizing every opportunity to jibe at each other.
During Monday’s ceremony, Manchester City and Spain’s Rodri took the prestigious Golden Ball, edging out Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham after an outstanding season for both club and country. Lookman, ranking 14th, was the only African among the 30-player shortlist and the second-highest Serie A player after Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez.
In response, Nigerian fans cheered the Atalanta forward’s achievement with lighthearted digs at Ghanaians. On X, Seun PP posted, “Congratulations to our own Lookman. My Charlie brothers, how market?” Ethan Emmanuel added, “Ghana wishes Lookman was from Accra, but we know that’s just a dream.”
Other fans joined the fun, with 99Kriistien joking, “Ghana people go think say na church programme,” and Daevid quipping, “Pain went straight to our Ghana brothers.” Zee wrote simply, “Ghana can’t relate! Congratulations, champ.”
With his standout season at Atalanta and memorable performances with Nigeria at AFCON, Lookman is now the frontrunner for the 2024 CAF Player of the Year award. He also made history by becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in a European club final as Atalanta triumphed over Bayer Leverkusen.
This recognition caps a stellar year for Lookman, who netted 11 goals and made seven assists across 31 Serie A appearances, a performance celebrated by fans and acknowledged on the world stage.
