Former Cameroon captain Rigobert Song has stirred debate after stating that Nigerian stars Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman are not world-class players, despite both footballers recently winning the African Player of the Year award.
Song made the remarks in a video shared by ESPN on social media, where he was asked to give a yes-or-no response on whether selected Africa Cup of Nations players could be considered world-class. The former defender answered “no” when Osimhen and Lookman were mentioned.
In contrast, Song described several other African players as world-class, including Mohamed Salah, Riyad Mahrez, Achraf Hakimi, Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, Omar Marmoush, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Ronwen Williams, Wilfried Zaha, Patson Daka, Mbwana Samatta, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Brahim Diaz. He also rated himself as world-class.
Out of the 18 players listed, Song classified 15 as world-class, leaving Osimhen and Lookman among the three he excluded, a position that has generated reactions due to their recent achievements.
Osimhen won the African Footballer of the Year award in 2023 after leading Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years, finishing as the league’s top scorer and helping the club reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. He has since continued his impressive form in Europe with Galatasaray.
Lookman was crowned African Footballer of the Year in 2024 following an outstanding season with Atalanta, where he played a key role in their Europa League success, scoring a historic hat-trick in the final.
Song, who is currently the head coach of the Central African Republic national team, is one of Africa’s most accomplished former players. He captained Cameroon at five Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and won the competition twice, in 2000 and 2002, during a career that also included stints with clubs such as Liverpool, West Ham United and FC Köln.
