Former Super Eagles striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu has said that Nigerian international Ademola Lookman “belongs at a top club” following his transfer to Spanish giants Atlético Madrid from Atalanta.
Lookman completed a reported €35 million move to Atlético a club with rich history in La Liga and Europe after agreeing personal terms and finishing his medical in Madrid.
Yakubu expressed pride in the 28 year old, saying he was “convinced he was going to leave Atalanta this winter” and that Lookman “deserves to wear the colours of a top club like Atlético Madrid”. He added that the move should benefit both the player and the Spanish side as Lookman seeks a fresh start.
The former Everton forward also backed Lookman to thrive under manager Diego Simeone, praising his qualities and suggesting he can make a positive impact in La Liga and European competitions.
Lookman signed a multi year contract with Atlético Madrid, ending his four year spell at Atalanta where he made a strong impact, including scoring a hat-trick in the 2024 UEFA Europa League final.
Editorial
In the sprawling theatre of European football, transfers are often evaluated through the cold calculus of fees and minutes played. Yet some moves carry a deeper resonance they validate careers shaped by persistence, evolution and the long arc of professional growth. Ademola Lookman’s transfer to Atlético Madrid, and the subsequent accolade from Aiyegbeni Yakubu that he “belongs at a top club,” epitomises such a story.
Lookman’s career has traced an unconventional route. Born in London and forged in Charlton’s academy, he cut his teeth in England before spells in Germany and Italy. At Atalanta, he blossomed into a dynamic forward capable of unlocking defences and creating decisive moments, his crowning moment perhaps that hat trick in the 2024 Europa League final that not only secured silverware but etched his name into the club’s history.
Yet for all his accomplishments, the debate around where he truly belongs persisted. Not due to doubt in quality, but due to the often mercurial nature of elite football talent must consistently intersect with the right environment. Yakubu’s endorsement, delivered not in vague praise but framed around the tangible reality of Atlético’s stature is not mere flattery it is recognition that the player has outgrown the context that once shaped him.
Atlético Madrid represents a different calibre of challenge and expectation. Under Diego Simeone, the club demands tactical discipline as much as attacking ingenuity. It’s a setting where success is measured not just in goals but in moments of clutch contribution and adaptability under pressure. Lookman’s versatility able to influence play from wide positions or as a central threat gives him the profile to thrive in such a system.
In football lore, few narratives are as compelling as that of the player who consistently rises to the occasion, seizing opportunities when they finally arrive. For Lookman, this move is not just about joining a “big club” it is about embracing a platform that befits his calibre. In Yakubu’s praise, there is both validation and expectation the kind that separates hopeful narratives from those that become defining chapters in the sport’s broader story.
Did You Know?
- Lookman has now played in four of Europe’s top leagues the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga — making his career path rare among Nigerian players.
- He scored a hat-trick in the 2024 UEFA Europa League final, helping Atalanta win their first major European trophy.
- Before joining Atlético Madrid, Lookman scored 55 goals and provided 27 assists for Atalanta across all competitions.
- Yakubu Aiyegbeni himself is one of the most successful Nigerian forwards in Premier League history, known for his time at Everton and Middlesbrough.
- Atlético Madrid regularly compete in the UEFA Champions League, offering Lookman exposure at the highest level of European club football.
