‘I was a bit surprised’ - Lookman narrates how he reacted to his Ballon d’Or nomination

The Super Eagles forward joined the 30-man list of the Ballon d'Or nominees, which was released last week.

The winger was the only Nigerian player on the list after his outstanding season with Italian side Atalanta.

The 26-year-old helped Atalanta win their first European trophy, having scored a hattrick against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final last season.

Lookman has revealed that he felt special after he was nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award.

Speaking on the Counter Attack podcast, Lookman said, “It’s a special, special, feeling man. 

“I was on a bus on the way back from training and I saw an handle post that I’d been nominated for the Ballon d’Or and I was a bit surprised. I kept scrolling, then I saw loads and loads of notifications, so I knew it was real.”

He also said that upon hearing the news, his fellow countryman Calvin Bassey was ecstatic and happy.

Lookman continued, “Obviously, I am in a room with Calvin Bassey and when I told him, he was just jumping up and down. He was very happy and was like you don’t really understand. That was when I took it in.” 

The Nigerian international explained that he was surprised when he was told about the nomination and had to confirm to know if it was real.

The former Everton winger made history in the final of the Europa League, scoring a hattrick to become the first player in history to do so.

He became just the eighth football player from Nigeria to receive a nomination for the esteemed award.

Lookman is also the frontrunner for the 2024 CAF Player of the Year award after helping the Super Eagles finish second at the 2023 AFCON tournament and scoring three goals.