From Ademola Lookman’s Stellar Year to Record-Breaking Penalty Shootouts: 2024 Football Recap 

By Charles Maduka and Mighty Oluwayemi

The year 2024 held many instances of footballing wonder — and despair — which fans of the beloved round-leather game will continue to cherish — or hope to forget. In this report, Unilag Sun sports team reflects on this rollercoaster of a year, recounting the noteworthy moments. Here’s a recap of some of the most remarkable stories and records that sparked conversations among fans of the sport this past year. 

Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman achieved a significant milestone in 2024 by finishing 14th in the Ballon d’Or rankings, becoming the third highest-ranked Nigerian player in the award’s history. On May 22 2024, he became the first player to score a hat-trick in a men’s European final since 1969. In December 2024, Lookman also became the seventh Nigerian to receive the African Footballer of the Year award by the Confederation oly  African Football (CAF). 

Lookman’s emergence on the world football stage, as signified by his 14th-place rank at the Ballon D’or awards, also coincided with the departure of footballing greats Messi and Ronaldo. For the first time in nearly two decades, the duo were absent from the award’s list of top 30 players. Since Ronaldo’s nomination in 2004 and Messi’s in 2006, they have collectively secured 13 Ballon D’or gongs, with Messi winning a record-breaking 8 and Ronaldo an impressive 5. The absence of these still-active legends from the Ballon D’or honour roll marks the definitive shift from the “Messi-Ronaldo era” to that of a new generation of stars, such as Rodri, the Manchester City man who claimed the Ballon D’or in 2024, Vinícius Júnior, and Jude Bellingham. Ronaldo last appeared on the shortlist in 2022 while Messi was last nominated in 2023, where he won his 8th Ballon D’or on the back of an dazzling World Cup triumph with Argentina in 2022. 

Also on the national team football scene, the Super Eagles of Nigeria reached a significant milestone in the 2024 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) since the team debuted at the 1963 edition, by playing their 100th match in the competition’s history during their third group A game against Guinea-Bissau. Nigeria is only the second country to have achieved this milestone after Egypt. The own goal by Opa Samgante in the 36th minute which gave Nigeria a 1-0 victory, was also Nigeria’s 140th goal in the tournament.

The 2024 AFCON set a new standard for African sports broadcasting, with the semi-final match between Nigeria and South Africa breaking viewership records.  The thrilling semi-final contest which ended with a 4-3 victory for the Super Eagles drew a combined audience of 10.3 million viewers across SuperSport platforms. Surpassing the viewership record held by the 2010 FIFA World Cup opening game in South Africa, the match became the most watched African sporting event in history. The game served as the Super Eagles’ last win in the competition as they lost to hosts and winners Ivory Coast in the finals. 

In the aftermath of the disappointing second-place finish at AFCON ‘23, the Super Eagles faced a noteworthy challenge in their quest to qualify for AFCON ‘25. The second-leg AFCON qualifier between Nigeria and Libya was marred by controversy as Nigeria’s team experienced logistical nightmares after their flight was diverted to Al Abraq airport. This was far from the match venue at Benghazi, where the players were stranded for over 16 hours without basic amenities. Feeling mistreated, the Super Eagles boycotted the match and returned to Nigeria. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) investigated and awarded Nigeria a 3-0 victory, penalizing Libya with a $50,000 fine for failing to provide proper arrangements. This incident sparked concerns about the treatment of visiting teams in international football on the continent. 

Dominating the professional club football scene in Europe, Bayer Leverkusen was the most successful team in terms of matches not lost. With a remarkable 51-game unbeaten run, the longest in European football history which stretched from May 2023 to May 2024, they won Bundesliga and DFB=Pokal titles. This impressive run dwarfed the previous record of 48 unbeaten matches set from 1963 to 1965 by Benfica. However, they were ultimately defeated 3 – 0 by Atalanta on May 22, in their first European final in 22 years.

On August 15 2024, another unbelievable record was set in top-flight professional club football. Ajax and Panathinaikos engaged in a suspenseful UEFA Europa League qualifying match that set a new record for the longest penalty shootout in UEFA competition history. After a 1 – 1 draw over 120 minutes, the match proceeded to a shootout lasting 25 minutes, during which 34 penalties were taken. Ajax emerged victorious with a 13 – 12 win, securing their place in the Europa League play-off round.

On July 9 2024, Barcelona and Spain forward Lamine Yamal became the youngest ever goal scorer at a major international tournament at 16 years 362 days old. His strike in the twenty-first minute of a semi-final match against France at the 2024 Euros beat the previous world record, held by late Brazilian legend Pele — 17 years 239 days vs Wales at the 1958 World Cup. This record is emblematic of an increasing trend towards younger players in professional football. 

Meanwhile, 25-year-old Christoph Baumgartner set an extraordinary record by scoring the fastest goal in international football history on March 23 2024. He found the net in only 6 seconds after kickoff in a friendly game between Austria and Slovakia. This swift strike surpassed the previous record held by Germany’s Lukas Podolski, who scored after 9 seconds against Ecuador in 2013.

Followers of the sports scene in UNILAG know that the 11th All Africa University Games (FASU 2024), was held from September 20-29, 2024, in Lagos Nigeria. This marked the first time the event was hosted in Lagos, with the University of Lagos and Lagos State University (LASU) co-hosting the tournament. The FASU Games was first held in 1975 in Accra Ghana. Nigeria last hosted the games in 2004 in Bauchi State.