Lookman, Ballon d’Or candidate, in search of greatness

The 27-year-old’s star continues to rise, from his performances for the Super Eagles at the 2023 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) to his pivotal role in helpingAtalanta win their first European trophy.

As a result of Lookman’s progress, he has been included among the 30 nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or. The name of the winner of the award for the world’s best footballer will be announced in Paris on Monday.

Being the only African on the list of nominees has added even more weight to his achievement. He is also in the running for the African Footballer of the Year award, which will be presented on 16 December.

One of the highlights of Lookman’s year was the Europa League final, where he scored a sensational hat-trick to lead Atalanta to victory over a Bayer Leverkusen side aiming for an unprecedented unbeaten treble.

His performance at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium showcased his talent, vision and composure under pressure. He became the first player to score a hat-trick in a European final since Jupp Heynckes did so for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 1975 UEFA Cup.

This Europa League triumph was a fitting reward for a player who has worked hard to become a European star.

Growing up in South London and starting his career in the youth ranks at Charlton Athletic, he followed a meandering path before finding himself in the international spotlight.

His career reached new heights with Italian club Atalanta, following spells with four English clubs and a spell in Germany.

Lookman joined Everton at the age of 19 for £11m ($14.26m), but showed his willingness to adapt and learn when he joined German club RB Leipzig.

Loan spells in the Premier League with Fulham and Leicester City followed, but the striker has flourished sincejoining Atalanta in August 2022.

Moving to a new country, learning a new language and adapting to a different footballing culture can be daunting, but Lookman is thriving in northern Italy.

Qualifying for this season’s Champions League has given Lookman another opportunity to test his skills against some of the best teams in the world.

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Lookman scored three goals in England’s victorious campaign at the Under-20 World Cup in 2017. Even with his early success with England’s youth teams, including winning the Under-20 World Cup in 2017, Lookman’s decision to represent Nigeria at senior level was always clear in his mind.

Lookman is not ready to rest, despite his achievements in 2024