Tolu Arokodare’s name has been etched into Pro League history after the 24-year-old Genk centre-forward captured the 34th Ebony Shoe award on Monday night at a gala ceremony at the Tangla Hotel in Brussels. The accolade, bestowed annually since 1992 on the best player of African descent in Belgium’s top division, celebrates outstanding performances both on and off the pitch.
Arokodare enjoyed a breakout 2024–25 campaign, finding the net 22 times and registering seven assists in league play for KRC Genk, helping to maintain the club’s title challenge deep into the spring . With two games remaining, he also remains firmly in contention for the league’s Golden Boot, having already notched 20 goals and six assists in the regular season alone .
In claiming the Ebony Shoe, Arokodare joins an exclusive roll call of Nigerian winners, including Daniel Amokachi (1992, 1994), Victor Ikpeba (1993), Godwin Okpara (1995), Celestine Babayaro (1996) and Paul Onuachu (2021) . This year’s shortlist also featured Union Saint-Gilloise duo Noah Sadiki and Promise David, Club Brugge midfielder Raphael Onyedika, and Genk teammate Zakaria El Ouahdi .
“Yes, this is definitely my biggest prize so far. Although I hope that even bigger prizes are coming,” Arokodare said, vowing to push on to further honours. “I want to keep going up, and that can be in any competition. If I keep working hard, I will get the chances I deserve. But I am happy that my name is in the history books.”
Having arrived at Genk from Amiens SC in January 2023, Arokodare’s rapid development under coach Thorsten Fink has made him one of Europe’s most closely watched young strikers. As the season draws to a close, he now sets his sights on both domestic scoring honours and helping Genk return to the Belgian summit.
