Ademola Lookman Biography
Ademola Lookman Professional football player Olajade Alade Aylola Lookman was born on October 20, 1997, and now plays as a winger for Serie A team Atalanta. He plays for the Nigerian national team and was born in England.
In 2015, Lookman made his senior debut for Charlton Athletic of the Championship as a forward. In January 2017, he joined Everton, where he primarily filled the role of winger. He played for England in the under-19 and under-21 divisions. Lookman debuted for Nigeria in 2022.
Early life
Ademola Lookman Alade Olajade Nigerian parents welcomed Aylola Lookman into the world on October 20, 1997, in Wandsworth, Greater London. At St. Thomas the Apostle College in Peckham, he completed his GCSEs with three A*s and five As.
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Career
International career
Lookman was born in England to Nigerian parents and is eligible for the national teams of both countries. He received his first international call-up when he was named in the England U19 squad named for Mexico. He was subsequently named in the squad for the European U19 Championships that summer. In early 2017, Lookman turned down the opportunity to switch allegiance to Nigeria after an approach from the national coach, Gernot Rohr.
Lookman was selected for 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 against Italy in the semi-finals. 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.
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. 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.
Lookman turned down Nigeria again in early 2018 after meeting with the president of the Nigeria Football Federation. 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.
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Despite his caps and success for England at the 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. However, Lookman also stated,
“I’ve not changed my mind about wanting to represent England.”.
On February 10, 2022, Lookman’s request to represent the Nigerian national team was approved by FIFA. Lookman made his debut for Nigeria on March 25, 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.
Lookman was named in Nigeria’s squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, held in Ivory Coast. He scored both goals for the Super Eagles in their 2–0 win over Cameroon in the round of 16.
Club career
Charlton Athletic
Lookman joined Charlton Athletic’s academy in 2014 after signing from Waterloo, a youth football club based in the London Borough of Lambeth. His goalscoring record for Charlton’s U18 and U21 teams led to his rapid ascent through the Charlton academy ranks, and he made his first-team debut for the Addicks on November 3, 2015. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on December 5, 2015 and then followed that up with both Charlton’s goals in a 2–2 draw with Bolton Wanderers ten days later.
Everton
Lookman signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Everton on January 5, 2017 for an undisclosed fee, reported as an initial £7.5 million, potentially rising to £11 million with add-ons. 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. 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.
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. 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.
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RB Leipzig
- On July 25, 2019, Lookman returned to RB Leipzig on a five-year contract.
- On September 30, 2020, Lookman joined Premier League side Fulham on a season-long loan. He scored his first league goal for Fulham against Sheffield United on October 18.
- On August 31, 2021, Lookman joined Leicester City on a season-long loan. On September 11, 2021, he made his Leicester debut as a 73rd-minute substitute during a 1–0 defeat to Manchester City. On December 28, 2021, Lookman scored the only goal in their 1–0 win over Liverpool.
Atalanta
On August 4, 2022, Lookman joined Serie A club Atalanta on a four-year contract for a reported fee of €15 million. He scored on his debut for the club, a 2–0 Serie A win over Sampdoria on August 13. In January 2023, he scored braces in three consecutive matches: an 8-2 Serie A win over Salernitana, a 5-2 Coppa Italia win over Spezia, and a 3-3 Serie A draw against Juventus.
Honours
England U20
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2017
Individual
- LFE Apprentice of the Year (Championship): 2015–16
- Atalanta Player of the Season: 2022–23