- By Steve Ogah
Ademola Lookman’s 2024 CAF African soccer player of the year award shot him into legendary status on the continent two months after he took 14th position at the 2024 Ballon d’Or award in Paris and four years after he squandered a crucial penalty kick, endured a painful experience, and his career took a downward trajectory.
Receiving his award in December, in Marrakech, Morocco, Lookman said, “just over four years ago, I failed in front of the world,’’ adding: “And fast forward four years, I’m the best player in Africa.”
Speaking about an episode that is tough to forget in his professional playing career, Lookman sought to inspire, stressing the power of positive thinking, hope, and hard work in the often long and arduous road to success on the pitch.
An unforgettable failure
The failure the Nigerian forward referenced happened in 2020 in England. On November 8, 2020, Lookman’s Fulham was down by a lone goal against West Ham in a premiership game. They needed a point desperately and the responsibility fell on the young striker to convert a late penalty. He could have easily chosen a corner in the goal, stepped up to the spot, and kicked the ball with power. But the inexpert player chose to be stylish, bungling his kick in the process. Thereafter, he bore a remarkable part of that collective team loss at West Ham. And he was scarred going forward.
At the time, Scot Parker was Fulham’s manager and he found it impossible to conceal his feelings towards Lookman. A disillusioned Parker said he was expressively disappointed and a bit angry.
But back in January 2017, Ademola Lookman made his debut for Everton against Manchester City and scored only on his second touch, raising hopes of a promising career in the English Premiership. It was tough not to be impressed with such a magnificent start in the highly competitive world of English professional soccer. But all hopes vanished when Fulham was relegated at the end of the 2020/2021 season. According to Aleksandar Mitrovic, Lookman’s former teammate, the entire team had “failed.”
And Ademola Lookman had to look somewhere else to ply his trade. But he had lost some of the starch seen at the start of his professional career. The former Charlton Athletic jewel couldn’t leave indelible marks at Everton, Germany’s RB Leipzig, Fulham, and Leicester, despite the huge talent and promise many had praised when Everton snatched him from Charlton in the English second tier, straight into the Premiership.
Atalanta to the Rescue
In August 2022, Lookman signed for Italy’s Atalanta, raising new hopes about his professional trajectory. Truly, only two years back, his former manager at Fulham had made a prophetic statement despite the striker’s on-field failure when it mattered most.
A prophecy is fulfilled
In 2020, in the aftermath of Lookman’s fluffed penalty, Scot Parker had predicted that the young forward would rise again. He said: “He’ll bounce back,” adding, “He’s an unbelievable character and professional.” Four years later, the prophecy was fulfilled with astonishing accuracy.
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On May 22, 2024, Lookman rose to global prominence on the turbo-charged night of the UEFA Europa League final at Ireland’s Aviva Stadium. On the back of a fourth-place finish in the Italian Serie A, Atalanta overwhelmed Bayer Leverkusen of Germany by 3-0 in Dublin, Lookman scoring all three impressive goals against the German league champions. It was a significant night for the young Nigerian as he became the first player to score a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League final.
The man from somewhere
But then again, Ademola Lookman is no stranger to remarkable accomplishments, having won laurels with England’s youth team. He won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2017. Again, he secured silver with the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the 2023 CAF African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, scoring three vital goals at the continent’s biggest soccer tournament.
Significance of Lookman’s win
Ademola Lookman’s deep pain swiftly became his solution, his elixir for success as he began to repair his career after that disastrous penalty that left deep scars in the heart of Fulham. His CAF African Footballer of the Year award is significant because it underlines the point that hard work and grit pays. It is a testament to what talent, endurance, and belief can achieve under the right temperament, external influences, and managerial instructions.
According to a statement from Atalanta soccer club: “Lookman is the first-ever Atalanta player to have lifted such an outstanding individual international award.”
Born on October 20, 1997, in south London, Ademola Lookman met his destiny when he chose Nigeria over England despite an illustrious youth career with the land of his birth. Lookman’s wheel of success will grind again, oiled in great measures by his level-headedness, skills, and dexterity with both feet.
The path head
The prestigious CAF award stressed Lookman’s exquisite playing qualities, placing him among Africa’s soccer royals. His talents and playing style point towards an illustrious career in world soccer. He will win more individual and collective awards under the right managerial influence and personal commitment.
Despite renewed interests that will follow after this massive personal win, Lookman must maintain his celebrated qualities as a disciplined team player for country and club. It will be tough not to be swayed by interests from old and new admirers. But Lookman must stand firm and look deep before making his next professional move. He shouldn’t be in a rush to leave the galaxy that made his star shine. His brilliant star is still rising, promising to illuminate his path further. His triumph at the CAF awards sends a powerful and inspiring memo to millions globally.
Nonetheless, Lookman has a significant and inspiring message for everyone. Speaking on the night of his triumphant moment, he stressed that he wants – “all the young children and people watching” not to let failures weigh them down, or that to break their wings, but in fact, turn their pain into your power and continue to fly.
•Ogah is a UEFA-accredited journalist.