Ademola Lookman, the only African nominee for the Ballon d'Or

Ademola Lookman has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or, making him the only African who can win the highly coveted trophy. But how did he end up on the shortlist?

Atalanta crushed Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final, sending Xabi Alonso and his men home 3-0. Lookman was La Dea's hero with his hat-trick, a performance that made headlines around the world.

Lookman grew up in Peckham, south-east London, when he was spotted by Charlton Athletic scouts aged just 16.

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Per Transfermarkt, Lookman scored 10 goals in his 45 senior appearances for Charlton. These performances alerted the biggest clubs in the country. As Richard Cawley wrote for South London Today, “Lookman’s promotion to the Charlton senior set-up has instantly put leading clubs in the country on red alert.”

Lookman’s spell at Charlton came to an end in January 2017 following a £7.5 million (€8.8 million/$9.5 million) move to Everton, per BBC reporting at the time.

A year after his move to Merseyside, Everton were looking to loan him to a Championship side to ensure more playing time. However, the player insisted on a move to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, with manager Sam Allardyce saying, “Where we've got some deals for him but he's adamant he chooses Germany… his stubbornness means he got his own way in the end.”

Lookman’s initial spell in Germany was a success, scoring five and assisting four in 11 Bundesliga appearances in the 2017/18 season, per Transfermarkt. The German club decided to make the move permanent in the summer of 2019.

The former Charlton winger struggled during his second spell in Leipzig, playing just 299 minutes of football before being loaned to Fulham in September 2020, per the BBC.

Many of you reading will have seen the clips of Lookman’s attempted Panenka penalty against West Ham during the 20/21 season. In a fan-less stadium, Lookman had a chance to score the equalising goal against West Ham from the penalty spot. He steps up confidently before chipping the ball tamely at Lukas Fabianski in goal, who read Lookman’s mind perfectly. Tough.

2022 saw Lookman on the move again, this time to Atalanta in Italy. He immediately flourished under manager Gian Piero Gasperini, scoring 13 goals and assisting another eight in his first season in Serie A, per Transfermarkt.

Now 26, Lookman has finally found his footballing home. It seemed for a while that he would never reach the heights his talent suggested he could, but now, under Gasperini, he has flourished. Becoming the first hat-trick scorer in a one-legged European final since 1969, per The Guardian. Anyone who watched his destruction of Leverkusen will surely remember it forever.

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