Ademola Lookman MON is a professional footballer who serves as a winger for Serie A club Atalanta.
Although born in England, he represents the Nigeria national team.
Early life
Ademola Lookman Olajade Alade Aylola Lookman was born on October 20, 1997, in Wandsworth, Greater London, to Nigerian parents. He attended St Thomas the Apostle College in Peckham, where he excelled academically, earning three A*s and five As at GCSE.
Career
In 2014, Lookman joined Charlton Athletic’s academy from Waterloo, a youth football club in Lambeth. His impressive goalscoring record for Charlton’s U18 and U21 teams facilitated his rapid rise through the academy, leading to his first-team debut on November 3, 2015. He scored his first goal for Charlton on December 5, 2015, and followed that with two more goals in a subsequent match against Bolton Wanderers.
On January 5, 2017, Lookman signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Everton for an undisclosed fee, reportedly starting at £7.5 million and potentially rising to £11 million with add-ons. He made his debut for Everton ten days later, scoring in a victory over Manchester City after coming on as a late substitute. Lookman’s first European appearance for Everton came in a win over MFK Ružomberok in the Europa League third qualifying round.
Although manager Sam Allardyce initially stated that Lookman wouldn’t be loaned out in January 2018, Lookman insisted on a move and joined Bundesliga club RB Leipzig instead of Derby County. On his debut for Leipzig, he scored the winning goal against Borussia Mönchengladbach after coming on as a late substitute.
Lookman rejoined RB Leipzig on July 25, 2019, with a five-year contract. On September 30, 2020, he moved to Premier League side Fulham on a season-long loan, scoring his first league goal for Fulham against Sheffield United on October 18.
On August 31, 2021, Lookman was loaned to Leicester City for the season. He made his debut for Leicester on September 11, 2021, as a substitute in a defeat to Manchester City. On December 28, 2021, he scored the only goal in a win over Liverpool.
On August 4, 2022, Lookman transferred to Serie A club Atalanta on a four-year deal for a reported fee of €15 million. He scored on his debut for Atalanta in a win over Sampdoria on August 13. In January 2023, Lookman scored braces in three consecutive matches against Salernitana, Spezia, and Juventus. On May 22, 2024, he scored his first career hat-trick in the Europa League final at Dublin Arena, leading Atalanta to a 3–0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen and becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in a one-off Europa League final.
Born in England to Nigerian parents, Ademola Lookman was eligible to represent both national teams. He first received an international call-up when named in the England U19 squad for a match against Mexico, and subsequently for the European U19 Championships that summer. In early 2017, Lookman declined an offer to switch allegiance to Nigeria, made by the national coach, Gernot Rohr.
Lookman was part of the England U20 team that won the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He scored three goals during the tournament, with two in the last 16 against Costa Rica and one in the semi-final against Italy. England defeated Venezuela 1–0 in the final, marking the country’s first victory in a global tournament since the 1966 World Cup.
In September 2017, Lookman received his first call-up to the England U21s for European Championship qualifiers against the Netherlands and Latvia. He debuted in the match against the Netherlands, assisting Everton teammate Dominic Calvert-Lewin in a 1–1 draw.
Lookman turned down Nigeria again in early 2018 following a meeting with the president of the Nigeria Football Federation. He rejected Nigeria’s approaches for a third time in September 2018 after England senior manager Gareth Southgate assured him of his place in the team.
Despite his youth-level success with England and previous rejections of Nigeria’s offers, the Nigeria Football Federation announced in January 2020 that Lookman would switch his international allegiance to Nigeria. However, Lookman clarified that he still intended to represent England. On February 10, 2022, FIFA approved Lookman’s request to play for Nigeria. He debuted for Nigeria on March 25, 2022, in a goalless draw against Ghana during the third round of qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Lookman was named in Nigeria’s squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast. He scored both goals in Nigeria’s 2–0 win over Cameroon in the round of 16 and netted the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Angola in the quarter-finals.
Net Worth
Undisclosed