Lookman Aims for Super Cup Glory with Atalanta

Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman is on the brink of making history by potentially becoming the fourth Nigerian player to win the UEFA Super Cup, following in the footsteps of Nwankwo Kanu, Finidi George, and Celestine Babayaro. The Italian side faces Real Madrid in the final in Poland today.

Achieving this feat would also cement Lookman's place in Atalanta's history, having already helped the club secure their first European title with a Europa League victory in May.

Atalanta is competing in their first UEFA Cup final, largely thanks to Lookman's hat-trick that led them to a 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen, earning Gian Gasperini's team their second piece of silverware in 117 years.

Despite numerous offers from Europe and Saudi Arabia, Atalanta has managed to retain the 26-year-old forward, positioning them to challenge Real Madrid's quest to become the first team to win six Super Cup titles.

"It's not just me; the whole squad is excited about the occasion. We deserve to be here through our hard work and perseverance. Wednesday night is another chance to show that," Lookman said in a pre-match interview.

"Real Madrid is a top team with top players, ready at any moment. There's never a good time to face them. They have their strengths, but we also have quality."

"We're very pleased to have our fans here. We'll do everything in our power to win the game. We're all looking forward to working hard."

Although Real Madrid, like other Champions League winners, are favorites to win, the pattern of Champions League winners claiming the Super Cup does not always hold. UCL winners have won 28 of the 48 editions, just eight more than clubs from the Europa League like Lookman and his teammates.

Atalanta coach Gasperini praised Lookman's heroics in the Europa League final and hopes the team can deliver another incredible performance in Poland as underdogs.

"We really wanted Lookman's third goal because even at 2-0, we knew Bayer's ability to turn games around. When we got to 3-0, we believed we had done enough to win the cup.

"We were underdogs against Liverpool and maybe against Sporting CP too. Everyone thought they would win, but being underdogs brought out the best in us."

Lookman is the first player to score a hat-trick in a UEFA Europa League final. His first-half brace made him the first African to score a brace in the final of a major European competition before adding the historic third.

He could join the ranks of three Nigerian players who have won the title.

The history of Nigerians in the UEFA Super Cup began with Kanu and Finidi, with Finidi scoring in the second leg as Ajax beat Real Zaragoza 5-1 on aggregate in the 1995 final.

Babayaro played a crucial role for Chelsea in 1998, helping them edge out Real Madrid 1-0 at the Stade Louis II in Monaco, thanks to a late Gus Poyet strike.

A win today would bolster Lookman's claim for this year’s CAF Player of the Year Award, having scored three goals to help Nigeria reach the AFCON final in February.

He ended the season with 16 goals and nine assists in all competitions.

Source News

Punch

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