Ademola Lookman’s hat-trick in the 2024 Europa League final made history, and later that year he was crowned African Footballer of the Year. The London-born winger chose Nigeria — and became one of its brightest stars.
Quick facts
| Full name | Ademola Olajade Alade Aylola Lookman |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 October 1997, Wandsworth, London (Nigerian parents) |
| Position | Winger / forward |
| National team | Nigeria (since 2022); played for England at youth level |
| Major clubs | Charlton Athletic, Everton, RB Leipzig, Fulham, Leicester City, Atalanta |
| Big honours | UEFA Europa League (2024); CAF African Footballer of the Year (2024); U-20 World Cup winner with England (2017) |
Early life and rise
Lookman grew up in south London and started his career in the Charlton Athletic academy, making his first-team debut as a teenager. Quick feet and confidence on the ball earned him a move to Everton in 2017, followed by spells at RB Leipzig in Germany, then Fulham and Leicester City on loan.
The Europa League final
Lookman joined Atalanta in Italy in 2022 and flourished. On 22 May 2024 in Dublin, he scored all three goals as Atalanta beat Bayer Leverkusen 3–0 in the Europa League final — ending Leverkusen’s long unbeaten run and becoming one of very few players ever to score a hat-trick in a major European final.
Choosing Nigeria
Although he won the 2017 U-20 World Cup with England, Lookman switched to Nigeria in 2022 after FIFA approved his change of nationality. At AFCON 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire he scored three goals, including both goals against Cameroon in the round of 16, as the Super Eagles reached the final.
