Ademola Lookman has indeed settled in Italian Football after so many years of struggles and uncertainties.
The Nigerian forward was more than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo combined in Dublin on Wednesday night against the invincible German Champions, Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
His performance against Leverkusen made him the 18th player ever to be rated 10/10 by French media L’Equipe becoming the first African to earn that historic ratings.
Xabi Alonso’s men were the overwhelming favourites against Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta albeit no one could have written off a team that massacred Liverpool at Anfield.
At the Aviva Stadium in the capital of the Republic of Ireland, Dublin, Ademola Lookman scored an incredibly unforgettable hat trick that even Diego Maradona and Pele will admire wherever they are.
Born in Wandsworth, Greater London in England to Nigerian Parents, the 26-year-old talented forward has struggled to enjoy football in any of the five previous clubs he has played for before moving to Atalanta in 2022.
The former Charlton Athletic youth player made his senior debut in 2015 and secured a move to Premier League side Everton after excelling for the Championship side at a very young age.
After scoring just one goal for Everton in 36 games in two seasons, he finally moved permanently to German side RB Leipzig in 2019 after a season-long loan spell.
He played for both Fulham and Leicester City on loan after struggling at RB Leipzig.
In 2022, Atalanta paid €15 million to RB Leipzig for the services of the highly-rated Lookman. Under the tutelage of the magical Italian manager Gian Piero Gasperini at the Gewiss Stadium, Lookman is now fulfilling his teenage potential that convinced Everton to pay £7.5 million to Charlton for his service.
Wednesday night’s evisceration of Bayer 04 Leverkusen has sent Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman to the top of the list of genuine candidates for the 2024 African Footballer of the Year.
Ademola Lookman’s historic hat trick was the first in a one‑legged European final since Pierino Prati scored a hattrick in AC Milan’s 4-1 thrashing of Ajax in the finals of the European Cup in 1969.
Lookman’s hattrick ended Leverkusen’s 51 matches unbeaten run and Atalanta’s first trophy in 61 years. Gian Piero Gasperini is 66 years old and Lookman’s hat trick won him his first-ever trophy as a manager. It was simply an astonishing night for the Super Eagles striker.
“In the last few years, I’ve been able to take my game to a new level and been able to show that on a more consistent basis,” said Lookman after the UEFA Europa League finals.
In the 2023 AFCON, Ademola Lookman was probably the best attacker in the competition as he rubberstamped it with a brace against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon when Nigeria beat them 2-0 in Round 16. Lookman scored three goals and provided one assist in the competition as he tormented every defender he faced in Ivory Coast.
The 2023 -24 season has seen many top African players being very quiet as the usual gurus; Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mame, Riyad Mahrez and Vitor Osimhen have been below their standards.
Gabon and Marseille’s striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Ghana’s Mohammed Kudus and Ademola Lookman of Nigeria have arguably been the three players that have put up an extraordinary performance throughout the entire season.
The 2024 African Footballer of the Year is certainly something for Nigeria’s Lookman after the Dublin 10/10 performance.
Ademola Lookman has 23 goals and assists contributions in the current campaign. It has been a great season and he stands the chance of winning the coveted African Best Footballer of the Year, after slaying Xabi Alonso’s Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
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