This year was an eventful year in the football world. As the year draws to a close, it is important to highlight some unforgettable moments in football, from individual player’s brilliance to teams’ triumphs especially in major tournaments.
Nigerian players, in particular, flew high this year, despite the national team’s inconsistent performance following a silver-medal finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Still, there are plenty moments of football to remember. Without wasting more time, Skabash presents the top 7 football moments to remember.
Top 7 football moments to remember
1. Vinicius Jr. wins FIFA 2024 Men’s Player of the Year

Let’s start with the latest which is Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Jr. named winner of the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year for 2024. The award came after he lost out to Manchester City’s Rodri in the 2024 Ballon D’Or, a loss that did not sit well with the Brazil star and Real Madrid.
Vinicius topped FIFA The Best Men’s Player of the Year standings with 48 votes, defeating his closest rival Rodri (43 votes) and his Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham (37 votes).
“Today I write to the child who has seen so many idols lift that trophy,” Vinicius said on Instagram. “His time has come. Or rather, my time has come. The time to say … yes, I am the best player in the world and I have fought hard for it.”
The win marked a successful year for Vini who has proven to be a key player for both club and country.
2. Ademola Lookman wins Africa Men’s Best Player of the Year
Super Eagles star Ademola Lookman made history for Nigeria by becoming the first “init boy” (Nigerian slang for Nigerian players raised in the UK) to win the CAF Men’s Best Player of the Year award. Lookman achieved this feat after he defeated Achraf Hakimi of Morocco, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams.
The Atalanta star is the second consecutive Nigerian player to clinch the award after Victor Osimhen who won it in 2023. He is a key player with the Italian Serie A side and scored a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen to lead Atalanta to their first European title. Lookman is the sixth player to score a treble in a European club final and the first since 1975.
In addition, the 27-year-old scored three goals as the Super Eagles finished as runners-up to the hosts and winners Ivory Coast at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in February. He was also named in the team of the tournament.

Victor Osimhen was one of the hottest summer signings, thanks to his free goal-scoring form in Napoli. The Super Eagles star netted 76 goals in 133 outings for Napoli, leading the club to its first Scuddetto since 1990.
So it made sense that top European clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain and another top club in Saudi Arabia were front runners for his signature. However, deals failed to happen for the Nigerian forward, mostly due to a heavy £110 million release clause.
Even Chelsea who proposed a Romelu Lukaku swap failed to land the Super Eagles star. With the transfer window closed and Napoli freezing him out of the new season, Osimhen snapped up the next opportunity that came calling – a shock move to the Turkish side, Galatasaray.
Osimhen has since established himself as a key striker for the club, scoring 14 goals in 10 appearances so far this season.
4. Bayer Leverkusen win first ever Bundesliga

Bayer Leverkusen finally clinched its first ever German Bundesliga title in 2024 after finishing as runner ups in five previous seasons. Nigeria’s Victor Boniface played a key role in this historic win, netting 14 goals to finish as the club’s top scorer.
Before the win, Bayer Leverkusen were known with the unpleasant nickname ‘Bayer Vizekusen’ or ‘neverkusen’ which essentially means ‘second-queen’ in reference to the club’s tendency to finish second in the league. However, Xabi Alonso’s team broke the jinx and ended the club’s 119-year wait for their first ever domestic title. What made the win even more special was the fact that the team remained unbeaten until the Europa League final when they lost 3-0 to Italy’s Atalanta.
5. Atalanta win first ever European title
There was a reason Lookman deserved Africa’s Best Male Player of the Year. His three goals dismantled a formidable Bayer Leverkusen side to clinch Atalanta’s first ever European title in history. Both finalists came into the game with a fantastic form, with the German side being the slight favourites considering the fact that they remained unbeaten up till that point.
But it was Gian Piero Gasperini‘s side who triumphed in the end, giving him his first ever title as a coach after joining the Italian side eight years ago.
6. Ivory Coast win 2023 AFCON
Host nation Ivory Coast beat Nigeria 2-1 to clinch their third title in the Africa Cup of Nations which held in January 2024. The Elephants came from a poor start in the tournament which included losing 1-0 to Nigeria in the group stages.
In fact, Ivory Coast were almost out of the tournament, and had to rely on favours from Morocco who beat Zambia to help the Elephants advance as the top losers. However, they never looked back especially after Emerse Fae became coach following the departure of coach Jean-Louis Gasset.
Ivory Coast ultimately had to beat giants Senegal and Nigeria on the journey to winning Africa’s most prestigious football title.
7. Spain win EURO 2024
Spain won a historic fourth European Championship after defeating England 2-1 in a dramatic final on July 14, 2024. Goals from breakout youngsters Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal secured the win for La Roja who last won the title in 2012.
For Spain, this was the perfect reward after losing to in the semifinals to 2021 winners Italy. However, England continue to wait for its first major Euro title after losing back-to-back finals.
It is also worthy to note that Spain rode on the back of their outstanding Euro outing to clinch the gold medal in the Paris 2024 Olympics while the female division finished third in the multisporting event . Thus, La Roja ensured that they end 2024 as European and Olympic champions.
Honourable mention
Manchester City won its fourth Premier League title in the 2023-24 season, making the Cityzens the first men’s side in English football history to win four in a row.
City beat West Ham 3-1 on the final day to edge out Arsenal. It was City’s tenth top-flight league title and sixth under Pep Guardiola who joined the giants in 2016.