A decade ago, Ademola Lookman was playing Sunday League football on the fields of Lambeth, South London when he was spotted by Charlton Athletic. A late arrival to the tough dynamics of professional football, the winger quickly became a hit at the Valley and was sold to Everton in 2017.
His stunning hat-trick for Atalanta in Wednesday’s Europa League victory over the previously unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen was a new milestone in one of the most remarkable journeys in European football. Lookman struggled at Everton, failed to make the grade at RB Leipzig, endured a series of uneventful loans, and Leicester turned down the chance to make his temporary stay permanent for just £14million.
Lookman, who represents Nigeria at international level after turning down the opportunity to play for England, has found a home at Atalanta. Taken to Bergamo by the club’s Welsh former head of recruitment Lee Congerton, his first season amassed a career-best 15 goals across all competitions.
His fantastic trio of goals against Leverkusen helped him to match that tally for the 2023-24 campaign. Under the guidance of the meticulous and attack-minded Gian Piero Gasperini, Lookman has flourished into one of Europe’s most exciting wingers.
He put Atalanta ahead against the German side with a clever run to convert from close range. The 26-year-old then fired in a brilliant strike from distance.
An historic third arrived late in the second half, with Atalanta breaking forward and Lookman receiving the ball on the edge of the penalty area. A stepover wrong-footed Jonathan Tah before Lookman fired a left-footed strike across goal and into the top corner.
It was not just his goals that hauled Atalanta to their first major trophy in 61 years. Lookman relentlessly pressed one of Europe’s best passing teams, carried the ball well to relieve pressure, and used possession intelligently.
“One of the best nights of my life, yeah!” Lookman beamed to TNT Sports after full-time. “Amazing performance from the team. We did it! We did it!”
Lookman’s rise is proof that a footballer’s development is not linear. While many of his friends would have been in academies from the age of seven, it took another 10 years for him to be taken in by Charlton.
After a £7.5million switch to Everton, Lookman started only seven Premier League matches in three campaigns and spent time on loan at RB Leipzig. He subsequently moved to the German club permanently but his search for a safe haven continued.
He joined Fulham on loan and later Leicester, where he threatened to blossom into the prolific forward that he has now become. But the Foxes turned their noses up at a £14m option to make his deal permanent.
At Atalanta, Lookman has flourished. He ended the season’s defining narrative in Leverkusen’s 51-game unbeaten run and wrote a new chapter in his own incredible story.
