Ademola Lookman is a professional football player who primarily plays as a winger or striker. Born on October 20, 1997, in Wandsworth, London, Lookman represented England at various youth levels.
Lookman began his professional career at Charlton Athletic, where he made a significant impact during the 2016-2017 English Championship season. His performances caught the attention of several top clubs, and in January 2017, he made a high-profile move to Everton in the Premier League for a reported fee of around £11 million.
While at Everton, Lookman showed flashes of his talent but had difficulty establishing himself as a regular starter. He had loan spells at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, where he particularly impressed during the 2017-2018 season, contributing goals and assists to help the team secure a place in the UEFA Champions League. Lookman's time at RB Leipzig showed his ability to adapt to different leagues and playing styles.
Following his loan spell in Germany, Lookman returned to Everton but found little playing time. In January 2021, he made a permanent move from Everton, joining Fulham in the English Premier League. Despite Fulham's relegation that season, Lookman was one of the team's standouts.
Start
Lookman joined Charlton Athletic 's academy in 2014 after signing for Waterloo, a youth football club based in the Lambeth District of London . His goalscoring record for Charlton's Under-18 and Under-21 teams led to a rapid rise through the club's youth ranks and he made his debut for the Addicks' first team on 3 November 2015. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion on 5 December 2015, and thereafter scored both of Charlton's goals in a 2–2 draw with Bolton Wanderers ten days later.
Everton
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| Ademola Lookman Everton (credit: Everton FC) |
Lookman signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Everton on 5 January 2017 for an undisclosed fee , initially reported as £7.5 million and rising to £11 million with add-ons. He made his debut for the club ten days later in a 4–0 win 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 first qualifying round of the 2017–18 Europa League .
Although manager Sam Allardyce stated that Lookman would not be loaned out in the 2018 January transfer window , the club eventually arranged a loan move to Championship club Derby County , where they expected him to play regularly for the first team. However, the player insisted on an alternative move and instead joined Bundesliga club RB Leipzig until the end of the 2017–2018 season. In his first game with Leipzig, Lookman scored the winning goal in the away game against Borussia Mönchengladbach after coming on as a substitute in the last few minutes.
RB Leipzig
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| Ademola Lookman RB Leipzig (credit: Bundesliga) |
On 25 July 2019 , Lookman returned to RB Leipzig on a five-year contract .
On 30 September 2020 , Lookman joined Premier League side Fulham on a season - long loan. He scored his first league goal for Fulham against Sheffield United on 18 October.
On 31 August 2021 , Lookman joined Leicester City on a season - long loan. On 11 September 2021 , he made his Leicester debut as a 73rd-minute substitute during a 1–0 defeat to Manchester City. On 28 December 2021 , Lookman scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Liverpool.
Atalanta
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| Ademola Lookman playing in the Europa League final (credit: Instagram Atalanta) |
On 4 August 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 13 August . In January 2023, he scored two goals 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 to Juventus .
On May 22, 2024, in a masterful performance, he guided Atalanta to their first international title, the 2023-2024 Europa League. Scoring three goals, a "Hat-Trick", against Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen, Lookman ended a 49-game unbeaten streak for the German team, unbeaten league champions in the same year.
International Career
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| Ademola Lookman playing for the England national team (credit: skysports) |
Lookman was born in England to Nigerian parents, and is eligible for both countries' national teams. He received his first international call-up when he was named in the England Under-19 squad named for Mexico. He was subsequently named in the squad for that summer's U19 European Championship. In early 2017, Lookman turned down the opportunity to switch national teams to Nigeria following an approach from national coach, Gernot Rohr .
Lookman was selected in the England under-20 squad for the 2017 FIFA Under-20 World Cup . He scored three goals in the tournament, two against Costa Rica in the round of 16 and one against Italy in the semi-finals. England beat Venezuela 1–0 in the final, earning the country's first victory in the final of a global tournament since the 1966 World Cup . .
Lookman turned down Nigeria again in early 2018 after meeting with the president of the Nigeria Football Federation . He later rejected Nigeria 's approaches for a third time in September 2018 after senior England manager Gareth Southgate convinced him he was part of his plans.
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| Ademola Lookman playing for the Nigerian national team (credit: Instagram Lookman) |
Despite his call-ups and success for England at youth level, and having previously rejected approaches from Nigeria , in January 2020 the Nigeria Football Federation announced that Lookman would switch his international affiliation to Nigeria . However, Lookman also stated: "I haven't changed my mind about wanting to represent England." On 10 February 2022 , Lookman's application to represent the Nigeria national team was approved by FIFA . Lookman debuted for Nigeria on 25 March 2022 , in a goalless draw with Ghana as part of the third round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup African qualifying section .
Titles of Ademola Lookman
Atalanta
- UEFA Europa League: 2023–24
England
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2017
individual awards
- African Cup of Nations squad: 2023
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