Ademola Lookman Olajade Alade Aylola Lookman

Ademola Lookman's name is now inseparable from one night in Dublin: the 2023–24 Europa League final, where he scored a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen to hand Atalanta the trophy. The achievement later saw him named CAF Men's Player of the Year.

His path to that stage was not straightforward. Lookman came through the academy at Charlton Athletic before Everton signed him. What followed was a long stretch of loans rather than a settled first-team role: a spell at RB Leipzig, which Everton later made permanent, then further loans at Fulham and Leicester City. It was only when Atalanta took him to Bergamo that Lookman found consistent form.

Born in England, Lookman won the FIFA U-20 World Cup with the England youth setup before switching his international allegiance to Nigeria in 2022. The decision reshaped the Super Eagles' attack: he helped Nigeria reach the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where they finished runners-up, before a third-place finish at the 2025 tournament. Those two campaigns, together with his club form for Atalanta, underpinned his continental Player of the Year award.