Ademola Lookman

Ademola Lookman
Lookman with RB Leipzig in 2019
Personal information
Full name Ademola Olajade Alade Aylola Lookman
Date of birth (1997-10-20) 20 October 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Wandsworth, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.74 m)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Atalanta
Number 11
Youth career
2008–2013 Waterloo
2013–2015 Charlton Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2017 Charlton Athletic 45 (10)
2017–2019 Everton 36 (1)
2018 → RB Leipzig (loan) 11 (5)
2019–2022 RB Leipzig 11 (0)
2020–2021 → Fulham (loan) 34 (4)
2021–2022 → Leicester City (loan) 26 (6)
2022– Atalanta 76 (33)
International career‡
2016 England U19 5 (0)
2016–2017 England U20 15 (4)
2017–2019 England U21 11 (1)
2022– Nigeria 27 (8)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  England
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Winner 2017
Representing  Nigeria
Africa Cup of Nations
Runner-up 2023
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:41, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:00, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Ademola Olajade Alade Aylola Lookman MON (born 20 October 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Atalanta. Born in England, he plays for the Nigeria national team.

Lookman made his senior debut in 2015, playing as a forward for Charlton Athletic of the Championship. He signed for Everton in January 2017, where he played mainly as a winger. After joining Italian club Atalanta in 2022, he won the UEFA Europa League in 2024, scoring a hat-trick in the final against Bayer Leverkusen and subsequently being named the African Footballer of the Year, becoming just the seventh Nigerian international to win the award.[2]

Having represented England from under-19 to under-21 levels, Lookman made his senior debut for Nigeria in 2022. He was part of the squad that finished runners-up at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. He is the current CAF player of the year.

Early life

[edit]

Ademola Lookman Olajade Alade Aylola Lookman[3] was born on 20 October 1997 in Wandsworth, Greater London,[4] to Nigerian parents.[5] He attended St Thomas the Apostle College in Nunhead where he achieved three A*s and five As at GCSE.[6]

Club career

[edit]

Charlton Athletic

[edit]
Lookman playing for Charlton Athletic in 2016

Lookman joined Charlton Athletic's academy in 2014 after signing from Waterloo, a youth football club based in the London Borough of Lambeth.[7] His goalscoring record for Charlton's U18 and U21 teams led to him making a rapid ascent through the Charlton academy ranks and he made his first-team debut for the Addicks on 3 November 2015.[8] He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on 5 December 2015,[9] and then followed that up with both Charlton's goals in a 2–2 draw with Bolton Wanderers ten days later.[10]

Everton and loan to RB Leipzig

[edit]

Lookman signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Everton on 5 January 2017 for an undisclosed fee, reported as an initial £7.5 million potentially rising to £11 million with add-ons.[11][12] He made his debut for the club ten days later in a 4–0 victory over Manchester City, replacing Ross Barkley in the 90th minute and scoring the team's fourth goal.[13] Lookman made his first European appearance for Everton in a 1–0 win over MFK Ružomberok in the Europa League third qualifying round first leg.[14]

Although manager Sam Allardyce stated that Lookman would not be leaving on loan in the January 2018 transfer window, the club eventually arranged a loan move to Championship club Derby County, where they hoped he would play regular first-team football. However, the player insisted on an alternative move, and instead joined Bundesliga club RB Leipzig until the end of the 2017–18 season.[15] In his first game with Leipzig, Lookman scored the winning goal in the away game against Borussia Mönchengladbach after coming on as a late substitute.[16]

RB Leipzig and loans to Fulham and Leicester City

[edit]

On 25 July 2019, Lookman returned to RB Leipzig on a five-year contract.[17] On 30 September 2020, he joined Premier League side Fulham on a season-long loan.[18] He scored his first league goal for Fulham against Sheffield United on 18 October.[19]

On 31 August 2021, Lookman joined Leicester City on a season-long loan.[20] On 11 September 2021, he made his Leicester debut as a 73rd minute substitute during a 1–0 defeat to Manchester City.[21] On 28 December 2021, he scored the only goal in their 1–0 win over Liverpool.[22]

Atalanta

[edit]

On 4 August 2022, Lookman joined Serie A club Atalanta on a four-year contract for a reported fee of €15 million.[23][24] He scored on his debut for the club, a 2–0 Serie A win over Sampdoria on 13 August.[25] In January 2023, he scored braces in three consecutive matches: a 8–2 Serie A win over Salernitana, a 5–2 Coppa Italia win over Spezia and a 3–3 Serie A draw to Juventus.[26] On 22 May 2024, he scored his first career hat-trick, in the Europa League final at the Dublin Arena, as Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3–0 to win the trophy for the first time in the club's history; in addition, he became the first player to score a hat-trick in a one-legged Men's European final since Pierino Prati in 1969.[27]

On 4 September 2024, Lookman became the first current Atalanta player to be nominated for Ballon d'Or due to his performances in Nigeria's build up to 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final as well as Atalanta's triumph in the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League.[28]

International career

[edit]

Lookman was born in England to Nigerian parents and is eligible for the national teams of both countries.[29] He received his first international call-up when he was named in the England U19 squad named for Mexico.[30] He was subsequently named in the squad for the European U19 Championships that summer.[31] In early 2017, Lookman turned down the opportunity to switch allegiance to Nigeria after an approach from the national coach, Gernot Rohr.[32]

Lookman was selected in the England under-20 team for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He scored three goals in the tournament, two against Costa Rica in the last 16 and one goal against Italy in the semi-finals.[33] England beat Venezuela 1–0 in the final, to achieve the country's first victory in the final of a global tournament since the 1966 World Cup.[34]

He received his first call-up for the England under-21s for European Championship qualifiers against the Netherlands under-21s and Latvia under-21s in September 2017.[35] He made his debut in the first match, and set up Everton teammate Dominic Calvert-Lewin for England's goal in a 1–1 draw.[36]

Lookman turned down Nigeria again in early 2018 after meeting with the president of the Nigeria Football Federation.[37] He subsequently rejected Nigeria's approaches for a third time in September 2018, after England senior manager Gareth Southgate convinced him that he was part of his plans.[38]

Despite his caps and success for England at youth level, and having previously rejected Nigeria's approaches, in January 2020 the Nigeria Football Federation announced that Lookman would be switching his international allegiance to Nigeria.[39] However, Lookman also stated: "I've not changed my mind on wanting to represent England".[40] On 10 February 2022, Lookman's request to represent the Nigerian national team was approved by FIFA.[5] Lookman made his debut for Nigeria on 25 March 2022, in their scoreless draw with Ghana as part of the third round of the African section of qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[41]

Lookman was named in Nigeria's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in the Ivory Coast.[42] He scored both goals for Nigeria in their 2–0 win over Cameroon in the round of 16,[43] before scoring their only goal in a 1–0 win over Angola in the quarter-final.[44] Nigeria lost the final 1–2 to Ivory Coast.[45] Lookman and the rest of the Nigeria team were named Members of the Order of the Niger in recognition of their performance.[46]

Style of play

[edit]

Lookman is a versatile and explosive winger with a dynamic style of play. He is known for his direct, pacey runs at the opposition defense, causing problems with his quick feet and close control.[47][48] He has a keen eye for goal and is able to finish chances with both feet, as well as with his head. Lookman is a creative player, who can unlock defenses with his clever passing and clever movement off the ball.[49][50][51]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of match played 22 December 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Charlton Athletic 2015–16[52] Championship 24 5 0 0 0 0 — — 24 5
2016–17[53] League One 21 5 3 2 1 0 — — 25 7
Total 45 10 3 2 1 0 — — 49 12
Everton 2016–17[53] Premier League 8 1 — — — — 8 1
2017–18[54] 7 0 1 0 2 0 6[c] 2 — 16 2
2018–19[55] 21 0 2 1 1 0 — — 24 1
Total 36 1 3 1 3 0 6 2 — 48 4
RB Leipzig (loan) 2017–18[54] Bundesliga 11 5 — — — — 11 5
RB Leipzig 2019–20[56] Bundesliga 11 0 1 0 — 1[d] 0 — 13 0
Fulham (loan) 2020–21[57] Premier League 34 4 0 0 1 0 — — 35 4
Leicester City (loan) 2021–22[58] Premier League 26 6 2 0 2 2 12[e] 0 — 42 8
Atalanta 2022–23[59] Serie A 31 13 2 2 — — — 33 15
2023–24[60] 31 11 3 1 — 11[c] 5 — 45 17
2024–25[61] 14 9 0 0 — 5[d] 3 1[f] 0 20 12
Total 76 33 5 3 — 16 8 1 0 97 44
Career total 229 59 14 6 7 2 35 10 1 0 295 77
  1. ^ Includes FA Cup, DFB-Pokal, Coppa Italia
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ a b Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ Four appearances in UEFA Europa League, eight appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  6. ^ Appearance in UEFA Super Cup

International

[edit]
As of match played 14 November 2024[62]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Nigeria 2022 6 1
2023 5 1
2024 16 6
Total 27 8
As of match played 14 November 2024
Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lookman goal.[62]
List of international goals scored by Ademola Lookman
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 13 June 2022 Adrar Stadium, Agadir, Morocco 4  São Tomé and Príncipe 7–0 10–0 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification [63]
2 10 September 2023 Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria 8  São Tomé and Príncipe 2–0 6–0 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification [64]
3 27 January 2024 Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast 16  Cameroon 1–0 2–0 2023 Africa Cup of Nations [65]
4 2–0
5 2 February 2024 Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast 17  Angola 1–0 1–0 2023 Africa Cup of Nations [66]
6 22 March 2024 Stade de Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco 20  Ghana 2–0 2–1 Friendly [67]
7 7 September 2024 Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria 24  Benin 1–0 3–0 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification [68]
8 3–0

Honours

[edit]

Atalanta

England U20

Nigeria

Individual

Orders

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ademola Lookman: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Lookman, Banda and Williams are big winners at 2024 CAF Awards in Marrakech, Morocco". CAF Online. Confederation of African Football. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Ademola Lookman". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b "FIFA approves Ademola Lookman nationality switch to Nigeria". The Athletic.
  6. ^ Pitt-Brooke, Jack (6 January 2017). "How Ademola Lookman slipped through the academy net before making his £11m move to Everton". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  7. ^ Cawley, Richard (27 November 2015). "Charlton keen to secure teenage prospect Ademola Lookman to new contract". South London Press. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015.
  8. ^ Jones, George (3 November 2015). "Match report: MK Dons 1–0 Charlton". Charlton Athletic F.C. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  9. ^ "Brighton 3–2 Charlton". BBC Sport. 5 December 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  10. ^ "Charlton 2–2 Bolton". BBC Sport. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  11. ^ Vinnell, Paul (5 January 2017). "Everton sign Ademola Lookman from Charlton for £7.5m". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  12. ^ "Ademola Lookman: Everton sign Charlton forward for £11m". BBC Sport. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  13. ^ Reddy, Luke (15 January 2017). "Everton 4–0 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  14. ^ Rostance, Tom (27 July 2017). "Baines gives Everton Europa lead on Rooney return". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  15. ^ Kirkbride, Phil (1 February 2018). "Everton wanted Ademola Lookman to stay in England with Championship club". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
    "Everton boss Sam Allardyce claims Ademola Lookman's 'stubbornness' took him to RB Leipzig over Derby". Sports Illustrated. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
    O'Callaghan, Rory (31 January 2018). "Ademola Lookman joins RB Leipzig on loan from Everton". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  16. ^ Brassell, Andy (5 February 2018). "Ademola Lookman slips and slides from Everton into Leipzig's affections". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  17. ^ "Nächster Neuzugang für die Roten Bullen". Sky Sport (in German). 26 July 2019.
  18. ^ "Ademola Lookman: Fulham sign RB Leipzig winger on loan". BBC Sport. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  19. ^ "Sheffield United 1–1 Fulham – Sharp penalty cancels out Lookman opener". BBC Sport. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  20. ^ "Leicester City Sign Winger Ademola Lookman On Loan". Leicester City F.C. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  21. ^ "Leicester City 0–1 Manchester City". BBC Sport. 11 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
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  23. ^ "Welcome, Lookman!". Atalanta BC. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  24. ^ Campanale, Susy (4 August 2022). "Official: Atalanta sign Lookman from RB Leipzig". Football Italia. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  25. ^ Oludare, Shina (13 August 2022). "Lookman: Super-sub scores on Atalanta debut against Sampdoria in Serie A". Goal. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  26. ^ Di Giovanni, Giuseppe (23 January 2023). "L'avvocato, Tomori, la fame, e la fede in Dio: tutto su Ademola Lookman" [The lawyer, Tomori, hunger, and faith in God: all about Ademola Lookman]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  27. ^ Wilson, Jonathan (22 March 2024). "Atalanta win Europa League as Lookman hat-trick ends Leverkusen's unbeaten run". The Guardian.
  28. ^ "2024 Ballon d'Or awards nominees revealed". UEFA. 4 September 2024.
  29. ^ Okeleji, Oluwashina (19 January 2017). "Nigeria keen on England U20 striker Ademola Lookman". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  30. ^ Veevers, Nicholas (16 May 2016). "England Under-19s squad named for double-header with Mexico". The Football Association. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  31. ^ Veeves, Nicholas (6 July 2016). "England Under-19s squad named for Euro Finals challenge". The Football Association. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  32. ^ "Everton rising star Lookman turns down chance to represent Nigeria ahead of FIFA U20 World Cup". All Nigeria Soccer. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  33. ^ Walsh, Kristian (11 June 2017). "How Everton's England World Cup heroes fared in South Korea – and what the future holds for them at Goodison". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  34. ^ "Under-20 World Cup: England beat Venezuela in final". BBC Sport. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  35. ^ Thomas, Lyall (24 August 2017). "Ten U20 World Cup heroes given first England U21 call-ups". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  36. ^ "Netherlands U21 1–1 England U21". BBC Sport. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  37. ^ "Lookman set to dump England for Nigeria".
  38. ^ "Southgate persuades Ademola Lookman to shun Nigeria".
  39. ^ "Lookman moves to switch allegiance from England to Nigeria".
  40. ^ "Lookman open to Super Eagles, but should Nigeria want him?".
  41. ^ "Six Foxes In International Action On Friday". Leicester City F.C.
  42. ^ "Osimhen, Chukwueze, and Others Named in Nigeria's Squad For AFCON 2023". beIN Sports. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  43. ^ "NIGERIA 2-0 CAMEROON: ADEMOLA LOOKMAN FIRES SUPER EAGLES INTO AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS QUARTER-FINALS". Eurosport. 28 January 2024.
  44. ^ "NIGERIA 1-0 ANGOLA: FIRST HALF ADEMOLA LOOKMAN GOAL BOOKS AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS SEMI-FINAL SPOT FOR SUPER EAGLES". Eurosport. 2 February 2024.
  45. ^ Anka, Carl; Whitehead, Jacob; more. "AFCON final: Haller's fairytale finish seals glory for Ivory Coast as Osimhen falls short". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  46. ^ a b "Afcon: Ivory Coast and Nigeria players get cash, villas and honours". BBC News. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  47. ^ Agberebi, James (16 January 2023). "'Lookman Adapted Quickly To Our Attacking Style Of Play' —Atalanta Coach, Gasperini". Complete Sports. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  48. ^ "Ademola Lookman's Time Has Finally Come | Defector". defector.com. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  49. ^ Carey, Mark. "Ademola Lookman: My game in my words". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  50. ^ "Ademola Lookman: Atalanta's hat-trick hero targets more glory after Europa League history". BBC Sport. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  51. ^ Egodo-Michael, Oghenovo (17 February 2024). "On Ademola Lookman's style off the pitch". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  52. ^ "Games played by Ademola Lookman in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  53. ^ a b "Games played by Ademola Lookman in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  54. ^ a b "Games played by Ademola Lookman in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  55. ^ "Games played by Ademola Lookman in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  56. ^ "Games played by Ademola Lookman in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  57. ^ "Games played by Ademola Lookman in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  58. ^ "Games played by Ademola Lookman in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  59. ^ "Games played by Ademola Lookman in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  60. ^ "Games played by Ademola Lookman in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  61. ^ "Games played by Ademola Lookman in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  62. ^ a b "Ademola Lookman: Internationals". WorldFootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  63. ^ "São Tomé e Príncipe vs. Nigeria 0–10: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  64. ^ "Nigeria vs. São Tomé e Príncipe 6–0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  65. ^ "Nigeria vs. Cameroon 2–0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  66. ^ "Nigeria vs. Angola 1–0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  67. ^ "Nigeria vs. Ghana 2–1: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  68. ^ "Nigeria vs. Benin 3–0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  69. ^ "Atalanta 3–0 Leverkusen: Lookman treble brings UEFA Europa League glory to Bergamo". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  70. ^ "Venezuela U20 0–1 England U20". BBC Sport. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  71. ^ Stevens, Rob (11 February 2024). "Nigeria 1–2 Ivory Coast". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  72. ^ Sutcliffe, Steve (18 April 2016). "Ademola Lookman named LFE Apprentice of the Year for the Championship". League Football Education. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  73. ^ "Lookman is the Player of the Season 2022/23!". Atalanta BC. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  74. ^ Oyebola, Mike (27 June 2024). "Serie A: Lookman scoops Atalanta's Player of the Season Award". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  75. ^ "CAF TSG Group releases TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nation Cote d'Ivoire 2023 Best XI Africa Player of the yesr 2023-2024". CAF Online. Confederation of African Football. 14 February 2024. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  76. ^ "2023/24 UEFA Europa League Team of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  77. ^ "Lookman, Banda and Williams are big winners at 2024 CAF Awards in Marrakech, Morocco". CAF. 16 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
[edit]
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