“Lookman delivers a subtle message, urging individuals to be fearless in making new turns in their search for private destinies.”

Forceful and enthusiastic assessments have met the nomination of Nigeria’s and Atalanta soccer club of Italy’s Ademola Lookman for the prestigious 2024 Ballon d’Or for incomparable excellence in world soccer. Still, Lookman has immense potential and distinguishing attacking assets and is up against competent rivals for the UEFA and Groupe Amaury grand prize. This commentary concerns how and why the stars have aligned for the young Lookman, the only African player in the running for the 2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or. Again, this analysis will underscore the point that regardless of the outcome of the voting process on Monday, October 28, at Paris’ Place du Chatelet, Lookman is a remarkable African player with color and class. He already has a sufficient and fortunate place in the hearts of his admirers, a man who has earned triumphant emblems in world soccer.

The day began as a pedestrian moment on May 22, 2024. But the impending night would be a moment of magnificence. The soccer world waited with bated breath. European glory flushed before two teams. Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta, two turbo-charged teams in the European soccer assembly, prepared for the final game of the 2024 UEFA Europa League at Ireland’s Aviva Stadium, Dublin. One favored team would triumph on the night. Unsurprisingly, several soccer pundits favored Bayer Leverkusen against the backdrop of their exciting invisibility in the German topflight.

It was tough not to display bias. Bayer Leverkusen had ghosted through every obstacle and won the Bundesliga title unscathed by defeat, neither at home nor away. The German team boasted of an inspiring and intimidating domestic success. It seemed European glory glowed around them without unbeatable hindrance.  

But the divine arrangement looked profoundly different from mortal intentions. The stars would align perfectly for one man, Ademola Lookman of Atalanta, who challenged Bayer Leverkusen on the back of a fourth-place finish in the Italian Serie A.

Ademola Lookman’s oceanic forays into Bayer’s half paid off early. He began smashing Bayer Leverkusen’s defensive barricades in the first half with a casual jab from his left foot, switched to his right foot to make it two with a shot from the edge of the penalty box, and returned to his left foot in the second half for a ballistic shot to make it three goals in one high tension night.    

What makes Lookman’s achievements remarkable is the glorious stage and the immaculate style of his triumph. He claimed the turf when it mattered most, becoming the first to pull off a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League era’s final game. And he did it in grand style, combining talent, chance, and destiny on a global stage against an opponent in fine form and fortune.

Ademola Lookman plays with disciplined economy in the box. He is Italian league-tough, a spunky forward blessed with an insatiable appetite for exploits. This defining quality fuelled his drive for more goals after he gave Bayer Leverkusen the first Bee sting. He sustained his drive even after he stung them twice, taking on Bayer’s defense head-on as if a Japanese kamikaze pilot as he reached for the third. He peppered the opponent’s defense until it was overwhelmed, looking like a little boy in an adult playground. It will remain a painful and disappointing night for the Germans, where they had to walk on fragmented glass scattered in their penalty box by a ruthless Ademola Lookman. The totality of his experience surpassed the involvement of any other player on the night. But there were hints of what was to come.

Ademola Lookman had achieved broad success for England’s youth team, winning the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2017. He built his playing style across teams in England and Germany. Notably, he was at Everton, Fulham, Leicester, and RB Leipzig. He won silver with the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the 2023 CAF African Cup of Nations, scoring three goals and proving a dependable attacking whiplash. His overwhelming triumph in Dublin is the culmination of a long journey to global celebrity standing and stardom.

That final night in Dublin underlined Lookman’s immense talents and ambition, placing him atop his charitable peers at Atalanta, earning him a deserved place among soccer’s royalty. He will attract remarkable earnings, accolades, and personal glory. No one should be stunned. Every recognition Lookman has earned and will attract is a merited tribute when weighed against the backdrop of the brilliant history he enacted on such a big stage and such a giant occasion.

Born October 20, 1997, Lookman made the right decision by ditching England for Nigeria despite playing for the former across U-19, U-20, and U-21 levels. Here, he will inspire younger African talents who must be decisive in deciding where their future lies. Lookman delivers a subtle message, urging individuals to be fearless in making new turns in their search for private destinies.

Lookman has fascinated world soccer because he took center stage when it mattered most, scoring all the goals in a final and playing a pivotal role as Atalanta won their first European soccer title. He captured our hearts with his beautiful and bone-clean goals, country humility, and hunger for individual success on the back of collective efforts from his teammates.

Despite several individual successes, Lookman still has the qualities of a community-minded workhorse for country and club. It will remain tough not to say the stars have aligned perfectly for Ademola Lookman. His star is rising, promising to be a pillar of strength wherever he goes. He is an attacking spectacle and purist.

Images: X via @Alookman_, @ballondor.