Ademola Lookman scored for Atletico Madrid in Saturday’s Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad, joining Super Eagles legend Finidi George as the only Nigerians to have found the net in Spain’s showpiece domestic cup final.
Ademola Lookman wrote himself into Nigerian football history at the Copa del Rey final on Saturday, scoring for Atletico Madrid against Real Sociedad to become only the second Nigerian player ever to score in the final of Spain’s premier knockout competition. It is a rarefied list. The first was Finidi George, who scored for Real Betis against Barcelona in the 1997 final, a game that lives in the memory of anyone who watched it. Lookman is now in that company, and the fact that it happened while he has been one of La Liga’s most influential forwards this season makes the moment feel entirely deserved. Fans who want to follow Lookman and place bets on La Liga can get started with the Bet9ja sign-up offer before the next round of fixtures.
The final itself was a contest that refused to settle cleanly. Real Sociedad took the lead within seconds of kick-off. Lookman levelled for Atletico in the 19th minute. Sociedad went back in front from the penalty spot in first-half added time. Julian Alvarez brought Diego Simeone’s men level again with seven minutes remaining in the second half. With neither side able to find a winner in normal time, it went to penalties. Sociedad triumphed 4-3 to claim their fourth Copa del Rey title.
The Finidi George Connection
The 1997 Copa del Rey final between Real Betis and Barcelona was one of those European occasions that Nigerian football fans of a certain age remember with pride. Finidi George, then at the peak of his powers as a winger with Real Betis, scored to put his side 2-1 ahead with eight minutes remaining. Barcelona won 3-2 after extra time, so Finidi also ended up on the losing side. That is the irony that both he and Lookman now share: they scored in a Copa del Rey final and lost.
The parallel is striking enough that OptaJose confirmed the statistical symmetry. For Nigerian football, having two players score in the Copa del Rey final across a nearly 30-year span says something about the quality of players the country has produced for La Liga. Lookman’s goal was his third in the Copa del Rey competition this season, a detail that further underlines how much he has contributed to Atletico’s run to the final. Fans can check out how to convert a Bet9ja bonus through the Bet9ja bonus conversion guide while they follow Lookman’s remaining matches this season.
Lookman’s Season in Context
It has been a genuinely special season for Lookman at Atletico. Diego Simeone does not lavish playing time on players who are not performing, and Lookman has been a consistent starter and scorer. His journey from Atalanta, where his previous head coach publicly suggested the club would not miss him after his departure, has taken him to one of Spain’s genuine title contenders. Atletico lost their Copa del Rey final, but they will still challenge for La Liga and have the squad depth to threaten in Europe.
For Super Eagles fans, Lookman’s form is exactly the kind of evidence that the squad does contain top-level talent. The question that John Ogu and others have raised about why that talent does not always translate to national team results remains relevant. But individually, Lookman is operating at the highest level of European club football right now. The latest analysis and match reports on Nigerian players abroad are updated regularly at FootballInNigeria.com.ng. New Bet9ja users who want to bet on La Liga’s final weeks can also find the latest offer at Bet9ja’s YOHAIG code page.
📌 Did You Know?
- The Copa del Rey is the oldest football competition in Spain, having been played since 1903. Real Madrid hold the record for the most Copa del Rey titles with 20 wins, ahead of Barcelona with 31, though Barcelona’s tally is more recent.
- Finidi George won the Copa del Rey with Ajax in the Netherlands before joining Real Betis, meaning his 1997 Copa del Rey final appearance was not his first experience of major cup football in Europe.
- Atletico Madrid’s last Copa del Rey title came in 2013, when they beat city rivals Real Madrid 2-1 after extra time at the Santiago Bernabeu. That remains the most recent domestic cup trophy in Atletico’s cabinet.
- Real Sociedad, Saturday’s Copa del Rey winners, are based in San Sebastian in the Basque Country. Their four Copa del Rey titles place them among the competition’s most successful clubs outside the Madrid-Barcelona duopoly.
- Lookman joined Atletico Madrid on a permanent transfer from Atalanta in the summer of 2024 after a standout loan spell. His first full season at the club has seen him emerge as one of the more productive attackers in Diego Simeone’s setup.
- Julian Alvarez, who scored Atletico’s second equaliser on Saturday, joined Atletico from Manchester City in the summer of 2024 in a deal reported to be worth around €75 million, one of the largest transfer fees in Atletico’s history.
- Nigeria has produced multiple players who have represented clubs in La Liga, including Celestine Babayaro, Daniel Amokachi, Nwankwo Kanu and Sunday Oliseh, but scoring in the Copa del Rey final remains the distinction that now belongs to only Finidi George and Lookman.
