Morocco - Nigeria: Brahim Diaz vs Ademola Lookman, shock for the MVP title of AFCON 2025

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As the AFCON 2025 comes to an end, the table of individual performances tightens. If several names shone, two players outrageously dominated the debates by their direct impact on the results of their selection: Moroccan Brahim Diaz and Nigerian Ademola Lookman.

Ademola Lookman, the metronome of the Super Eagles

Already crowned African Player of the Year in 2024, Ademola Lookman confirms his status as the new boss of Nigeria. If Victor Osimhen often attracts defenders with his calls, it is the striker of Atalanta Bergamo who punishes opponents.

With an impressive statistical record—3 goals and 4 assists in just three games played before thequarters — Lookman is the most decisive player of the tournament. After having carried his team in the group stage and in the eighth of final against Mozambique (4-0), he was again the major artisan of the semi-final qualification by defeating Algeria. His volume of play, his ability to create offsets and his coldness in front of the goal make him Eric Chelle’s number one asset.

Brahim Diaz, the savior of the Kingdom

Facing him, Brahim Diaz carries the hopes of an entire people. For his first major competition under the colors of Morocco, the playmaker of Real Madrid endowed the costume of a technical leader and often a situation breakaway. Where Lookman excels in his overall statistics, Diaz stands out for the crucial nature of his interventions.

Scorer in the opening match against Comoros, then against Zambia and Mali, he especially freed the Lions of the Atlas in the eighth final against Tanzania (1-0). If the Madrid player has not yet delivered an assist in this tournament, his influence on the Moroccan game is total. A striker in each of his team’s five matches, he is the one by whom danger arrives and the one who takes responsibility in moments of doubt. For Diaz, this semi-final is an opportunity to prove that he can also be a statistical "game changer" against a grouped Nigerian defense.

Time for the verdict for the MVP title?

The duel this Wednesday in Rabat goes beyond simple qualification for the final. It is potentially a direct confrontation for the AFCON 2025 best player trophy.

So far, it has been difficult to definitively decide between an Ademola Lookman, deemed more complete in his ability to score and also serve the others, and a surgical Brahim Diaz who could propel the host country into the final. In an atmosphere that promises to be electric, the genius of Madrid and the Bergamasque finisher will compete for the throne of African football.