Atalanta winger, Ademola Lookman has fired back at his coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, calling his remarks after their Champions League exit “deeply disrespectful.”
Ademola Lookman, who recently returned from injury, came on as a substitute at halftime during Atalanta’s Champions League play-off second leg against Club Brugge.
At the time, Atalanta was trailing 5-1 on aggregate. Just 36 seconds after coming on, Lookman scored to reduce the deficit.
However, the game’s biggest talking point came when Atalanta was awarded a penalty around the 60th minute.
Lookman appeared to take the ball away from the team’s designated penalty takers, Charles De Ketelaere and Mateo Retegui.
He missed the spot-kick, leading to sharp criticism from Gasperini.
“Lookman was not supposed to take that penalty, he is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen,” the Atalanta coach said after the 5-2 aggregate defeat.
“He has a frankly terrible record even in training, he converts very few of them. Retegui and De Ketelaere were there, but Lookman in a moment of enthusiasm after scoring decided to take the ball and that was a gesture I did not appreciate at all.”
In his response, Lookman released a statement on Wednesday, expressing his disappointment over Gasperini’s disrespectful comment.
“It saddens me on a day like this to have to write this statement – most of all because of what we have achieved together as a team and as a city.
“Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurts but feels deeply disrespectful, not least because of the immense hard work and commitment I have always put in each and every day to help bring success to this club and to the incredible fans of Bergamo.
“In truth, I have dealt with many difficult moments during my time here – the majority of which I have never spoken about because in my opinion the team must always be protected and must come first.
“This makes what happened last night even more hurtful. Along with our incredible fans, we as a team are hurting too with last night’s result,” Ademola Lookman said.
The winger also clarified the penalty situation, saying, “During the match the designated penalty taker instructed me to take the penalty; and to support the team I took responsibility in the moment to do so.
“Life’s about challenges and turning pain into power which l’ll continue to do.”
— Ademola Lookman (@Alookman_) February 19, 2025
KanyiDaily recalls that Ademola Lookman has won the best Player of the Year at the 2024 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards held in Marrakech, Morocco.
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