Ademola Lookman has been crowned African Player of the Year, following a stellar year at Atalanta where he scored a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final.
Before excelling atlantaHowever, Lookman had to overcome some difficulties – particularly during the 2020/21 season-long loan. Fulham from Arabic Leipzig.
Stepped up to take a penalty in the 98th minute of a Premier League game West Ham At the London Stadium, Lookman knew he had to level the scores and earn Fulham a point.
Ademola Lookman remembers the Panenka penalty miss
But, instead of sticking his laces through the ball or lofting it for a corner, the Nigerian international decided to try Panenka. Lukasz Fabianski had already dived, but had enough time to get back to his feet and grab the tame effort.
“Yeah, they weren’t too happy with me, but, you know, they gave me a lot of love and support, especially after coach Scott Parker,” Lookman said. FlashScore.
“He helped me a lot to get through that time but like I said on stage it’s about turning your pain into strength.
“I’ve been able to do that for the past few years and continue to do so. To the kids out there who want to improve and achieve in life: Life can knock you down, and it might not deal you the best cards.”
But while Fulham were relegated at the end of that campaign, Lookman’s miss fortunately did not have much of an impact on their final standings. Nine points dropped Burnley At 17, a point against West Ham was still not enough for the Cottagers to survive.
Lookman, meanwhile, returned Premier League Another loan next season, this time with Leicester City. He did somewhat better there, scoring six goals in the top flight, before moving permanently to Atalanta at the end of the campaign.
