NewStats: 3,265,128 , 8,185,746 topics. Date: Friday, 13 June 2025 at 03:07 PM 105e3a

Nigeria striker Ademola Lookman said that switching his playing nationality from England to the Super Eagles in 2022 was key to his current success.

Lookman, who was born in London and represented the Three Lions at Under 17 level, helping them win their age-group World Cup, acknowledged that the decision to switch to Nigeria turned his career around.

"I think ever since I put on the Super Eagles jersey, it's been fruitful," Lookman said on SportyTV.

"We've been able to achieve a lot as a team and we're still going as a team. But the camaraderie is something that's very special within the squad.

"Ever since I ed the Super Eagles, everything has gone upwards for me."

CAF men's Player of the Year Lookman only made his debut for Nigeria two years ago, in the first leg of the ill-fated World Cup qualifying series against Ghana.

In less than two years, the Atalanta forward has gone from being a so-called Premier League flop, to being named Africa's best player.

Lookman's triumph at the CAF Awards on Dec. 16 hit a number of chords for Nigeria, the most significant of which is that he became the first Nigerian player born outside the country to win Africa's top award.

His accolades: Three goals and two assists which were pivotal to Nigeria reaching their eighth Africa Cup of Nations Final in Cote d'Ivoire in February.

At club level, he scored a European record hat-trick in a 3-0 win to hand Italian side, Atalanta the UEFA Europa Cup at the expense of hot favourites, Bayer Leverkusen in May. The Germans came into the game unbeaten and were as heavy odds-on favourites to win.

He's carried on this season, notching 12 goals and five assists in 19 appearances in all competitions for Atalanta, and scored two goals as Nigeria qualified for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations finals, with two other goals controversially chalked off.

All of these echo the sort of contributions that the likes of Osaze Odemwingie, and Victor Moses before him, brought to the Super Eagles as diaspora-born players.

More recently, Alex Iwobi, Leon Balogun, Ola Aina, Semi Ajayi, Bright Osayi-Samuel and captain William Troost-Ekong, have all come to become stalwarts of the Super Eagles.

"To me it's an incredible moment," Lookman said of his CAF Awards win. "An incredible achievement. It's special to be able to the list of many great players who have achieved a lot in the game, legends.

"It's not just me but we have a lot of talent, not just in the men's game but also in the women's game, and for us to be able to give motivation to the young kids who want to aspire to be like us is the most important, because if we can set a good example, they have good footsteps to walk into."

Source: https://www.espn.ph/espn/story/_/id/43137498/england-born-ademola-lookman-credits-nigeria-switch-success

Good One,

Don't let any negative thing hinder you from working towards your goals in life ,

this is one of the thing that we keep learning from our role model
Princess Faith Chukwu

Nigeria is a big name, to which success is attached. Our problem is leadership cum bigotry. Once we can commonly fight and overcome this, we'll reclaim our giants position in Africa and be envied by other countries. I Chidinma adetshina too. There was a time India was envying Nigeria. To get Nigerian visa by India in the 70s- early 90s was very difficult. India once recorded the highest Nigeria's visa refusal rate among other nations of the world.They'd come and bring their entire family. They schooled in our public secondary schools and universities.

Our IGR was fat and people were gainfully employed. Parents would do contributions to send their children to school cos education was lucrative. Sadly, the present generation who are defending the likes of Tinubu who damaged everything met nothing on ground. We still benefited partially from our sound education sector back then.

Today, no Indian wants to come. We're even the ones begging them to come and invest. They've taken their business elsewhere on same african continent to invest and India is fast becoming a developed nation despite their teeming population.

Their fruit market in ilupeju, Lagos is now a ghost town. Bad leaders have ruined our nation yet, some people are praising them out of bigotry. Buhari did his own and the north stood by him. It's now Tinubu's turn, instead of us to criticise his anti people policies, we're ing him despite suffering and smiling. Are we also as unintelligent and illiterate as the north? I think they say we're more intelligent and can criticise bad governance. Why are we keeping quiet?

Three lions did not want him......

Truth be told, he is like old wine, he took time to mature........ 😂🍷🤣

A good move indeed

They did not value him but till today he’s African champion

Nothing concern me but E dey mind

Awesome!! God bless you ❤️

"Ever since I ed the Super Eagles, everything has gone upwards for me."

Sabi Boi with doings..

Congrat to him

Lexusgs430:
Three lions did not want him......

Truth be told, he is like old wine, he took time to mature........ 😂🍷🤣

Dey play..

The three lions, who be striker wey dem get wey better ham at the moment?

Nice. Proud to be a Nigerian.

Lexusgs430:
Three lions did not want him......

Truth be told, he is like old wine, he took time to mature........ 😂🍷🤣

They actually want him. They went really hard after him not to play for Nigeria.

https://punchng.com/we-will-stop-lookman-from-playing-for-eagles-england/

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/ademola-lookman-international-allegiance-nigeria-26207481

More to come.

You mean the same Nigeria that Kemi Badenosh has been tiering down, saying nothing good comes out of it?. . .

Omoluabi

Destiny not Nigeria. In life some are late bloomers some are early bloomers. And you're certainly not a Ronaldo or Messi

Cool

Lexusgs430:
Three lions did not want him......

Truth be told, he is like old wine, he took time to mature........ 😂🍷🤣

They actually threw tantrums when he dumped them.

Saka will struggle with Arsenal and England teams until he grows old with nothing to show for his great talent.

Fiscus105:
Saka

That one will be regretting by now.
His own is even better. There's the other scapegoat called Tammy Abraham.

Fiscus105:
Saka will struggle with Arsenal and England teams until he grows old without nothing to show for his great talent.

Saka will see more shege than Harry Kane. Make we just dey look.

Value who value you abi what’s that saying 😊

Omore bi iyan ...

Temptation147:
Nothing concern me but E dey mind

No carry this thing enter new year…

It’s a complete jargon

IgboSomalia:


That one will be regretting by now.
His own is even better. There's the other scapegoat called Tammy Abraham.



Saka will see more shege than Harry Kane. Make we just dey look.

Saka has secured the future of his unborn generation. So what shege are you talking about?

Ademola Lookman

CAF Footballer of the year..

Baltasar Ebang Engonga Avomo

CAF Player of the year

Eriokanmi:
Nigeria is a big name, to which success is attached. Our problem is leadership cum bigotry. Once we can commonly fight and overcome this, we'll reclaim our giants position in Africa and be envied by other countries. I Chidinma adetshina too. There was a time India was envying Nigeria. To get Nigerian visa by India in the 70s- early 90s was very difficult. India once recorded the highest Nigeria's visa refusal rate among other nations of the world.They'd come and bring their entire family. They schooled in our public secondary schools and universities.

Our IGR was fat and people were gainfully employed. Parents would do contributions to send their children to school cos education was lucrative. Sadly, the present generation who are defending the likes of Tinubu who damaged everything met nothing on ground. We still benefited partially from our sound education sector back then.

Today, no India wants to come. We're even the ones begging them to come and invest. They've taken their business elsewhere on same african continent to invest and India is fast becoming a developed nation despite their teeming population.

Their fruit market in ilupeju, Lagos is now a ghost town. Bad leaders have ruined our nation yet, some people are praising them out of bigotry. Buhari did his own and the north stood by him. It's now Tinubu's turn, instead of us to criticise his anti people policies, we're ing him despite suffering and smiling. Are we also as unintelligent and illiterate as the north? I think they say we're more intelligent and can criticise bad governance. Why are we keeping quiet?

Patriotic lad.

Noblechykk:

Saka has secured the future of his unborn generation. So what shege are you talking about?

Trophies and Glory.

Let me tell you, Saka as a black man in England will always be just another nigga.
Saka and Rashford during the Euro finals that England lost. Kane also lost a penalty but they blamed the black players. Called them all sorts.
No trophy, no respect. Just another slave hustling for the King.
That's what Lookman escaped. He's currently the King of African football. Who is Saka?