Online Reporter
HE is the boy from south of the river trying to break the hearts of the North Londoners.
Ademola Lookman was brought up in Wandsworth and has played for four English clubs.
Yet the nomadic forward, 28, has done his best work overseas during spells with RB Leipzig, Atalanta and now Atletico Madrid.
Lookman joined the Spanish side in a £30million January move from Atalanta.
Although he missed the last two games with a knee injury, he hopes to return against Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final first leg.
Asked about the showdown with the Gunners, he said: “For me, it’s emotional. I grew up in London, so it’s a very special match. What I want is to win.”
Lookman’s career has hardly been conventional, growing up playing cage football before he was scouted by Charlton while playing for Waterloo FC, based in Lambeth.
Despite playing for England Under-21s, he is a key player for Nigeria and, in 2024, was nominated for the Ballon d’Or after also being crowned the best player in Africa. It has been a stunning rise for the player who Karl Robinson gave a professional debut to for Charlton against MK Dons in November 2015. Now in charge at Salford, Robinson said: “He is a real diamond and his attitude was always excellent. But his story is incredible.
“This is not someone who had played for a club’s academy but a lad who was spotted playing on Hackney Marshes.
“He has ended up playing for Charlton in the Premier League and then Atalanta. He’s scored a hat-trick in a European final and then was voted African player of the year. And now he is in Madrid.
“When we did a deal at Charlton for him to go to Everton, it was worth up to £11million for the club. I drove him to Chigwell near Tottenham’s training ground and took him for lunch with Dele Alli, who I used to manage at MK Dons.
“I wanted him to speak to Dele, who knew what it was like going from an EFL side to a Premier League club.
“Dele knew what obstacles would be in the way and the type of pressure he would have to deal with.Ademola sat and listened carefully and it was obvious he would make it to the top.
“His last game for us was on Boxing Day 2016 against MK Dons — and he scored the winner. He then gave me his shirt. That sums him up.”
Former Charlton No 2 Richie Barker, now assistant boss at MK Dons, said: “Ademola was very humble and went on a different journey as he was still playing London schools football at 16.
“A diamond of a person. He rarely spoke. He just got on with it. He is a great example to any player that anything is possible.”
Lookman made just seven Prem starts for Everton and, after 12 months, was loaned to RB Leipzig in Germany.
Former Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, then in charge of the German club, told SunSport: “We needed someone up front on loan.
“I remember Ralf Rangnick, our sporting director, running through the player restaurant with me and into an office to send a fax to make everything happen. The signing worked immediately as he scored a very important goal against Monchengladbach.
“This was on his debut. The game did not start well when he came on because he kept slipping as the pitch was muddy and he had the wrong boots.
“My assistants were jumping up and down shouting at him but he changed his boots and hit an 89th-minute winner!”
Lookman signed permanently for Leipzig after Hasenhuttl left — but he struggled under Julian Nagelsmann and was sent on loan to Leicester and Fulham.
Hasenhuttl, whose last job was at Wolfsburg, added: “Working hard off the ball was tough for him and maybe too much, which is why maybe he struggled.
“But he has had a good journey since. His dribbling and finishing is his biggest strength.” – Sun
