The support and love he receives from Nigerians motivates me to strive for greater things, says Ademola Lookman, a forward for the Super Eagles and Atalanta.
Atalanta won the Europa League final 3-0 on Wednesday night, ending Bayer Leverkusen’s 51-match unbeaten streak. They claimed their first title in 61 years, thanks to a sensational hat trick scored by Lookman.
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He made history by scoring Atalanta’s maiden continental trophy and became the first player to do so since 1975.
In 2017, Lookman helped lead England to victory in the FIFA U-20 World Cup. He was born in London and played for England at youth levels. In 2022, the 26-year-old made his debut for the Super Eagles after switching allegiances to Nigeria.
What Lookman had to say after the game was quite remarkable. “It’s incredible, and I have said this in earlier interviews: the unwavering support and love I get back home [Nigeria] is unbelievable. It gives me the motivation to try to inspire myself and evolve in different areas, not just in my game but as a person,” he added.
My life has been transformed. Although we were defeated in the final of the AFCON tournament in January, we were elevated to the status of Super Eagles and received tremendous support from our fans back home.
The product of Charlton Athletic’s youth academy went on to say that nights like the one versus Leverkusen have always been a part of his dreams.
The confidence to generate my own goals, score them, and assist my teammates has always been there, he says.
Over the last many years, I’ve been able to consistently demonstrate that I’ve reached a new level of play.
What I’ve seen thus far has made me happy.
