By Wale Mustapha
Reigning African Footballer of the Year, Ademola Lookman, has credited his recent rise to stardom to his club, Atalanta.
Lookman’s career was marked by early struggles to establish himself, having tried his hand at various Premier League clubs including Everton, Fulham, and Leicester City.
He also faced a difficult two-year spell at Bundesliga side RB Leipzig before making the move to Atalanta in 2022.
It was at the Serie A club where Lookman truly blossomed, becoming one of the standout attackers in Europe.
Reflecting on his transformation, Lookman attributed much of his success to the early acceptance and support he received from Atalanta, which helped him settle quickly and establish himself as a key player.
“I think the environment that the club (Atalanta) gave me has been very key to obviously my growth as a player,” Lookman said in an interview with Flashscore.
“And also, just timing, you know, I’ve always believed in myself and to be able to achieve great things. But, yeah, the time has come and, you know, just blessed to be here.”
Lookman’s impressive performances in Serie A have solidified his reputation as one of the top attackers, with his move to Atalanta proving to be a turning point in his career.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
