Tag: Ademola Lookman

Super Eagles and Atalanta striker Ademola Lookman looks certain to clinch the Africa Footballer of the Year. He would be stepping into the shoes vacated by another Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who now plies his trade with Galatasaray of Turkey.

Super Eagles and Atalanta striker Ademola Lookman looks certain to clinch the Africa Footballer of the Year. He would be stepping into the shoes vacated by another Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who now plies his trade with Galatasaray of Turkey, Taiwo Alimi reports.

Lookman may have been living in quiet achievement for a while until he blossomed at the final of the 2024 Europa League netting three goals to defeat hot favourites Leverkusen that have remained unbeaten in the season. The German champions were comprehensively beaten by the Italian club, and all thanks to Lookman, who made history and the difference on an historical night.

GASPERINI

Speaking on a podcast recently, the Super Eagles highest scorer at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) where Nigeria finished as runners-up to host country Cote d’Ivoire fingered Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini as his motivator who unleashed the genius in him.

“I’ve been saying it that I believed in my abilities but I also learnt a great deal from Coach (Gasperini). He’s a great motivator and a good teacher and trainer. He often calls us aside and speaks to me one on one. He would tell me where to go and how to play to be able to achieve my potential. I respect him a lot because he’s grounded and knows how to bright out the genius in people. He’s calm and knows how to motivate players in a calm manner.”

Gasperini, he added inspired him to greatness with patience and guidance.        

“He would tell me that I have the ability to becoming one of the best strikers in the world; that I needed to bring my game out. Even, when I did not live up to his expectation, he did not give up on me. He would take me aside and speak with me. The fans were also patient with me and I’m happy I could pay them back for their great support.”

Lookman did not actually bloom until he got under the wings of Gasperini.

He had a difficult spell at Leipzig, before loan moves to Fulham and Leicester City; there he once again struggled to make a real impact.

The Super Eagles forward joined Atalanta two years ago and has blossomed since.

A TOP PLAYER 

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In another interview, Gasperini giving an insight into Lookman’s meteoric rise corroborated the winger’s claim.

“Lookman is a top player today, but he wasn’t before. He was strong but tended to light up in flashes and at other times would disappear from the game.

“He was the same in training sessions. I worked with him using the patience of an artisan craftsman. What he did in the last few weeks feels like his maturity. Now he wants the ball, participates in the game, works with his teammates.”

TRANSFORMATION

Lookman has undergone a remarkable transformation since joining Atalanta, evolving from a player who struggled to find his footing in the Premier League to one of Europe’s most prolific scorers.

Lookman’s journey in football has been anything but straightforward. After stints at several English clubs, including Everton and Leicester City, where he averaged only five goals per season, he made a €15 million move to Atalanta in the summer of 2022.

His impact was immediate and profound, as he scored an impressive 32 goals in his first two seasons in Serie A, including a historic hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen last May.

This change is largely attributed to the guidance of his manager, Gasperini, who has been hailed as a master tactician for nurturing attacking talents.

Football analyst Mario Falini, has dubbed Gasperini as the “Ivy League for attackers,” highlighting his ability to elevate the performances of strikers and attacking midfielders.

“The craziest thing about Gasperini is that he takes players and they all have career seasons,” the CBS pundit noted, emphasising the remarkable influence of the coach and leadership.

“Ademola Lookman was a guy who was at Everton, scoring maybe five goals, loaned to Leicester City, and finished with five goals,” he stated. “Now, he is one of the better players in Europe.”

“I could give you 10 strikers and attacking midfielders that he takes and I have said that he is the Ivy League for attackers,” he added.

“They go to this club (Atalanta) and for whatever reason, they all have career seasons. They go to him, they are 20 goals a season strikers.”

“He has to be seen as one of the best managers in the world. He’s going to go down as the best coach in their (Atalanta) history – one of the best Italian managers of the century.”

Lookman’s story is a reminder of the resilience and the right coaching, from Gasperini, who fans in the comment section also described as ‘Gas the Genius’ – proving that with the right environment, talent can truly flourish.

CAF PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Lookman is one of the frontrunners for the CAF Player of the Year award, and his performance for the Super Eagles at AFCON 2023, and throughout the season for Atalanta puts him in a strong position.

The above position is strongly enunciated by the 2024 Ballon d’Or shortlist, which put Lookman in the 14th position, ahead of many notable players in Europe.

He was also the only African in the FIFA rankings and he was ahead of many Nigerians that have made the list in the past. 

MAN OF FASHION

Though, his fashion sense has never been highlighted Lookman showed up in Paris among distinguished personalities and was even ranked among the Top 10 best dressed ballers in Paris.

Lookman was adjudged fourth best dresser on the red carpet in Paris. 

This Nigerian king pulled out all the stops when he pulled up in Paris as the only African player to be nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or. If his 17 goals for Atalanta weren’t enough last season, the former Charlton boy continues to impress with his footballing ability, finishing 14th in the Ballon d’Or standings.

Rocking a black ball suit with dashing midriff cuff and while bow tie, Lookman was all smile as he walks down the carpet with confidence. His fans were on ground to call him out and encourage him on while stopping to allow Paparazzi snap him before moving on to grant a short interview.

Other players that stood out in Paris are Alejandro Garnacho. The Manchester United star rocks an oversized fit; baggy suits. Arsenal player Mariona Caldenty, who finished eighth in the standings of the Ballon d’Or made an impression with her arrival outfit. Her sleek blue shirt and trousers shone under the flash of nearby cameras, while her matching shirt added the perfect finishing touch to this relaxed, yet classy vibe.

Didier Drogba donned his style on the red carpet, suiting up in a smart white number before finishing his look with a black bow tie.

Harry Kane strode out in a beautifully tailored suit before picking up the Gerd Muller Trophy for bagging 52 goals for club and country during 2023/24, while Roma defender Mats Hummels and model girlfriend Nicola Cavanis stole the show, perfectly complimenting each other in stylish, well planned outfits.

At just 17 years old, Lamine Yamal demands attention when he strolls on to a red carpet. His presence, aura and greatness make him a feared name in the football world, while also making him impossible not to love.

The Barcelona wonderkid was named the best youngster in the world at the ceremony, turning up in a grand full black suit.

However, Barcelona Women’s team midfielder, Bonmati claimed her back-to-back Ballon d’Or trophy wearing a jaw-dropping white dress that drooped to the floor beyond her stunning black heels.

A dress fit for a queen and who more deserving than the queen of world football. Those stunning silver earrings added the perfect final touch too.

Lookman is on fire going by his recent eruption at club and national teams. “You are to see my best,” he said.

Atalanta have provided astonishing update on Ademola Lookman as the club’s social media revealed that  the Super Eagles winger is  averaging a goal or an assist every 69 minutes.

Lookman’s hat trick delivered UEFA Europa League trophy to Atalanta last season in their 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen and the Nigerian has not rest on his laurels scoring and providing key assists to ensure the Italian club remain in reckoning.

It was his two goals that aided Atalanta’s 3-0 win at Napoli last weekend. The defeat was Napoli second loss of the season and it lifted Atalanta to the  second spot in the Serie A.

Not yet done, the Nigerian opened Atalanta’s goals account against another German opposition, VfB Stuttgart in a 2-0 win in the UEFA Champions League. The away win has taken Atalanta to the ninth spot with eight points from four games and are only goals difference away from the automatic spot to the Round of the 16.

“Another goal for Ademola Lookman against Stuttgart. That’s 8 goals and 5 assists in 13 matches this season for Atalanta. He is averaging a goal or an assist every 69 minutes,” the club posited on its website.

Two-star Osimhen stuns  Tottenham in Europa League

Super Eagles attacker, Victor Osimhen, continued his blistering form with Galatasaray with  a brace  in the 3-2 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur  in a UEFA Europa League tie.

Pre match discussions centered on Galatasaray players and technical crew insinuating the club would rely on the physical attributes of Osimhen against the London based club to ensure the three points are claimed.

The Nigerian delivered impressively helping his teammates when his assistance was needed to ensure Galatasaray grabbed all points against stubborn Tottenham Hotspur side.

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Yunus Akgun scored first for Galatasaray in the sixth minute but Tottenham equalized through William Lankshear in the 18^th  minute.

Osimhen stepped up the plate to score two well taken goals in the 31st and 39th minutes to put his two goals up. Dominic Solanke got one more back for Spurs in the 69th minute but Galatasaray held on for the three points. It was Tottenham’s first loss in the competition.

Osimhen has scored six goals from eight games and three assists for Galatasaray in all competitions this season.

His two goals has taken Galatasaray to the third spot with 10 points after four games. Italian outlet, Football Italia, noted that Osimhen is raising his profile and probably his price-tag while on loan at Galatasaray.

The Nigeria international was sent to Turkey on loan this summer after transfers to Chelsea and Al Ahli fell apart.

It was hoped that this would allow him to get regular playing time and convince previously hesitant clubs that he was worth somewhere close to the release clause in his contract, which has now been lowered from €130m to €90m in the January window, then €75m in June 2025.

Elsewhere, Cyriel Dessers was on the score sheet also for Rangers who are held to a 1-1 draw by Olympiacos in Greece.

Igoh Ogbu was on for 84 minutes for Slavia Prague in their 1-0 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany.

Ademola Lookman’s  dominant performance   against Napoli on Sunday  has been adjudged  the best in the Serie A  Round 11  matches according to Italian sports papers.

The 27-year-old  was among the goals as Atalanta humiliated Napoli 3-0 in front of  their  home fans at the Maradona Stadium in Naples.

Their victory was inspired by Lookman’s first-half brace and the Nigeria international – unsurprisingly – emerged as the best player from the latest weekend of action in Serie A.

As reported by Fantacalcio, Lookman’s average player rating from Italian sports papers was 8.

His Atalanta teammate Hien was also impressive in Naples, deserving a 7.5/10 rating. It’s just as much as Tengstedt got after Hellas Verona’s 3-2 victory over Roma, in which he scored a goal.

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Italy strikers Mateo Retegui, Andrea Pinamonti, Moise Kean and Pietro Pellegri found the net for Atalanta, Genoa, Fiorentina and Empoli and were among the best Azzurri players in Serie A Round 11.

At the same time, Milan’s win over Monza was inspired by Mike Maignan’s saves and, most importantly, Tijjani Reijnders’ winner. Both Rossoneri stars were rated 7/10.

Lookman’s gritty display against is regarded as one of his best performances since the Europa League final where he struck  a hat-trick  against  Bayer Leverkusen. He also pulled  two goals and  two-assists  in the 6-1 mauling of Hellas Verona.

His rich vein of form has made him the player to beat  for the coveted 2024 African Footballer of the Year crown.

“For Lookman, while the 2024 Ballon d’Or came too soon, he’s quickly been established as the favourite to win CAF’s Men’s Player of the Year award after being named in the continental governing body’s somewhat baffling 10-man shortlist for the prize,” noted Ed Dove of the ESPN.

“Lookman is surely the favourite, following his fine showings at the Africa Cup of Nations as Nigeria reached the final, his performances for Atalanta across the year, not least his Europa League-winning display,” he added.

• Nigerian ace scoops man-of-the-match

Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini has listed Ademola Lookman in his ‘very strong’ stars after the Nigeria international striker struck a first half brace in an emphatic 3-0 win at Serie A leaders Napoli.

Lookman who deservedly earned the Man-of-the-match award for his stunning display, opened the scoring after 10 minutes, volleying home from close range after a headed cross from Charles De Ketelaere.

The Nigerian doubled the lead just after the half-hour mark with a long-range strike from another De Ketelaere pass, before substitute Mateo Retegui added the third in stoppage time to end Napoli’s 100% home league record this season.

Expressing his satisfaction with his team’s performance, highlighted the significance of the result: “We think we can measure ourselves against these high-level teams. These matches are a scale for us too, we knew we had to put in a high-level performance. We have grown in personality and technique; we are undoubtedly happy.”

The coach further saluted his wards’ dominant display even as he singled out Lookman and others for special praises, adding Atalanta have ‘grown in personality and technique’.

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He added: “Lookman, De Ketelaere and Retegui are very strong, and besides them we also have Zaniolo who we couldn’t use today. Those three are on a higher step but the others can reach it too. We can’t always use all three given the many matches, but you can also make a difference from the bench.”

Discussing Atalanta’s title aspirations, Gasperini remained cautious but optimistic: “We need to grow but we are getting good responses. Eleven players have arrived in the squad. Retegui has given immediate answers but today Kossounou and Brescianini also did well. Samardzic, Bellanova, there are many that I can’t list.”

Despite the convincing win, Gasperini was quick to praise Napoli’s strength: “In any case, Napoli is a strong team, credit must be given to De Laurentiis and Manna. They changed coach and Conte has done and will do extraordinary things, today’s match won’t make me change my mind.”

•  Arokodare’s assist earn Genk vital win

Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman scored twice to steer Atalanta to a 3-0 away win against Italian Serie A leaders, Napoli at the Stadio Armando Maradona.

Lookman scored the first goal of the game in the 10^th minute before he doubled it in the 31^st minute. Serie A leading scorer, Mateo Retegui bagged the third goal in the 92nd minute as Atalanta jumped to the second spot with 22 points from 11 games.

It was Lookman’s eighth game of the season and has scored six goals for the Zebras.

In France, Gabriel Osho could not add to his right games he has played for Auxerre who were 4-0 winners at home to Rennes. Osho sat out the game on the bench as Auxerre improved to 10th spot with 13 points.

In another French Ligue One tie, Montpellier were beaten 1-0 by Le Havre. Akor Adams started the game for the former French League champions before he was replaced in the 60th minute. Adams has played 10 games with three goals to show for his efforts. But Montpellier are last on the table with four points from 10 games.

In Turkey, Bright Osayi Samuel earned his fourth game of the season in Fenerbahce’s last gasp 3-2 win at Trabzonspor. Samuel was yellow carded for the first time this season in the 59th minute before his head coach, Jose Mourinho removed him in the 66th minute.

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The win takes Fenerbahce to the second spot with 23 points from 10 games.

In Holland, Hamdi Akujobi played his 11^th game of the season for Almere City who were beaten 2-0 at RKC Waalwijk. He is with only one assist.

In Belgium, Tolu Arokodare could not add to his eight goals from 13 games but he bagged his second assist of the season for his Genk’s opening goal in their 2-0 win at home to Royal Antwerp.

Arokodare was replaced in the 72^nd minute while his compatriot who featured for Royal Antwerp, Victor Udoh was brought on in the 86^th minute.

Genk held on tightly to the leadership of the Belgian League with 31 points from 13 games while Royal Antwerp are third with 23 points.

Super Eagles and Atalanta BC forward, Ademola Lookman, has set sights on taking Nigeria to the AFCON 2025 and 2026 FIFA World Cup tournaments, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 27-year-old put his name on the World stage this year with scintillating performances in the AFCON 2023 tournament, the Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Europa League.

The former RB Leipzig man scored the joint-most goals for Nigeria at the AFCON 2023 tournament in Ivory Coast and led Atalanta to the UEFA Europa League triumph against an unbeaten Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

His brilliance saw him nominated for the Ballon d’Or award, and he nicked 14th place in the final standings.

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Lautaro Martinez, Ademola Lookman, and Harry Kane at the 2024 Ballon d’Or awards night in France.

Lookman believes Super Eagles can qualify for the next World Cup and is confident the team can gel under interim manager, Augustine Eguavoen.

“It has been great. I have known him, obviously as the coach before he [Eguavoen] gave me my first call-up to play for Nigeria, so I know him very well. We’ve shown good performances as a team in these Afcon qualifiers and now we need to do better consistently. We’ve won two games and drawn one game, so we will continue in this manner, and try to win our games. The goal is to qualify for the Afcon and World Cup, so we are looking to do those things,” the ex-Fulham man said in an interview with 54FootballX.

French giants, Paris Saint Germain, are believed to be in a pole position to sign  Nigeria International striker Ademola Lookman 

Late in the summer transfer window, PSG showed interest in the Atalanta forward but latest updates suggest they might revisit this interest when the January window opens in a few months.

PSG’s recent struggles in front of goal raise questions about whether their attack has enough players capable of finishing chances. Lookman, who has drawn attention from multiple clubs, including Arsenal and Liverpool, has made a strong impact since joining Atalanta in 2022.

Moreover, this month, Sky Sport Germany’s Florian Plettenberg reported that the Atalanta player is still open to a new challenge, with a potential winter move on the horizon.

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Atalanta president Percassi blocked a transfer for the 26-year-old versatile striker this past summer. However, a move in the next window could be possible, with a price tag set at €25 million to €30 million as his current contract runs until 2026.

According to Football Insider, PSG is leading the race to sign Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, edging out West Ham.

Last season, Lookman featured in 45 matches, showcasing his talent with 17 goals and 10 assists. One of the standout moments of his season was his stunning hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen

Nigeria international  striker  Ademola Lookman has been adjudged  the 14^th best in the final rankings of the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

The 27-year-old  and Atalanta star had an impressive   2023/2024 season which he capped  with a stunning  hat trick  in the 3-0 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen  as  the  Italian Serie A side scooped the  Europa League trophy, which  happened to be their first continental silverware.

In doing so, he became one of only four players to ever score a hat-trick in a major European final, and the only player ever to do so in a Europa League final.

He was also the star man for Nigeria at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations  in Cote d’Ivoire where he scored three goals in seven appearances to help  the  Super Eagles all the way  to the final  before eventually losing  to  the hosts, the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire.

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But in the Ballon d’Or  rankings  unveiled shortly before the identity of the eventual winner  was declared at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris last night, Lookman finished as the second highest Serie A player in the final rankings, behind Lautaro Martinez of Inter, but ahead of Hakan Calhanoglu and Roma pair Artem Dovbyk and Mats Hummels.

Already named in a 10-man shortlist for the 2024 CAF Men’s Player of the Year,  the former Charlton Athletic academy graduate is being touted as the  favourite  to replace his compatriot, Victor Osimhen  as  the next Africa’s soccer king  in December.