By Olaitan Ibrahim
African Footballer of The Year Ademola Lookman has broken his silence on Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini’s harsh criticism, revealing that the designated taker instructed him to take the penalty in Tuesday’s Champions League exit to Club Brugge.
In an emotional statement released on Wednesday, Lookman expressed his hurt at being singled out by Gasperini, who had labelled him “one of the worst penalty-takers I’ve ever seen” after his spot-kick was saved in the 3-1 defeat.
“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,” Lookman wrote in his statement on X.
“Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurt 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.”
The Nigerian forward, who had missed Atalanta’s previous six matches due to knee problems, made an immediate impact after being introduced at halftime with his side already trailing 3-0, scoring within 42 seconds to give the Italian side hope of a comeback.
However, when presented with a chance to further reduce the deficit from the penalty spot in the 61st minute, his effort was saved by former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, leading to unprecedented public criticism from his manager.
“Ademola Lookman is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen,” Gasperini said after the match. “He wanted to take the penalty after scoring a goal. He took the ball despite Retegui and De Keteleare being available to take it… I didn’t like what Lookman did.”
Lookman’s statement directly contradicts this version of events; “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.”
The 27-year-old also revealed he had faced other challenges during his time at the club writing, “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.”
The 66-year-old manager’s comments have sparked widespread outrage among supporters, who pointed out his apparent double standards in not similarly criticising designated penalty taker Mateo Retegui’s crucial misses this season or captain Rafael Toloi’s temperamental red card in the same match.
Paris-based Nigerian journalist, Ojora Babatunde, questioned the manager’s approach on X; “When your coach that’s supposed to shield and protect you from external criticism starts criticising you openly, then something is wrong.”
Nigerian sports journalist, Pooja, also defended the forward on X writing, “A win in seven games, struggling without him and he returned from injury, scored a goal after 42 seconds and missed a penalty that has happened to the biggest players in the world.
“Look at the nonsense Atalanta coach is saying about Ademola Lookman to the media. Someone who won him his first European trophy after years as a coach.”
The criticism appears especially unwarranted considering Lookman’s exceptional penalty record last season, where he converted all three of his spot-kicks – the best conversion rate at the club ahead of Teun Koopmeiners (two from four) and Luis Muriel (one from one).
Retegui, the designated penalty taker Gasperini referenced, has converted just two of his four spot-kicks this season. His misses proved costly – one in the 0-0 game against Arsenal in the Champions League group stage that could have secured qualification for the knockout rounds, and another against Torino that cost the team vital points in their Serie A title chase as they drew 1-1.
Yet, Retegui escaped public criticism from his manager for these crucial misses, as noted by X user Mr_AyLee who wrote, “Retegui missed a penalty against Arsenal and a last-minute sitter against Madrid, yet I didn’t see Gasperini publicly criticising him. I really hope Lookman leaves Atalanta at the end of the season.”
The manager’s criticism of Lookman becomes even more questionable when considering captain Toloi’s actions in the same match. The 34-year-old defender received a straight red card for shoving Maxim De Cuyper to the ground in frustration, yet escaped similar public condemnation from Gasperini.
After De Cuyper interfered with Toloi taking a throw-in, the Brazilian-born Italian international attempted to throw the ball at the Belgian but slipped, causing him to charge at De Cuyper in a fit of rage. Toloi delivered a running forearm to the back of De Cuyper’s head, earning an immediate red card from referee Felix Zwayer.
X user Tayo highlighted this disparity in treatment saying, “How can a coach degrade their player like this who has won you a European Trophy after 61 years? The captain gets a red card for manhandling and the coach behaves like this. The downfall has started for Atalanta.”
The situation bears striking similarities to Victor Osimhen’s deteriorating relationship with Napoli two seasons ago, where the Nigerian striker was subjected to public ridicule by his club’s social media accounts shortly after leading them to their first Serie A title in 33 years.
“Even Messi, CR7, Mbappe, Vini, and others missed crucial penalties but you will never see their coach talking ill about them like this. I’m not even surprised, Napoli did the worst things to Osimhen despite all the efforts,” Timmy Denny wrote on X.
A Barcelona fan account, @Brave_FCB, emphasised the disrespect shown to Lookman; “This is so disrespectful. How would you say that to a player who won the Europa League for you and your club? Lookman better find his way out of that club to a better club.”
The criticism appears even more unwarranted considering Lookman’s overall contribution to the team this season. Despite being only 12th on the list of most appearances, he has the second-most goal contributions with 21 goals from 26 games in Serie A and the Champions League, behind only Retegui who has 26 goal contributions from 33 games.
His most significant contribution came in May last year when his hat-trick secured Atalanta’s first-ever European trophy, defeating the then-unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final.
Interestingly, this is not the first time Lookman has found himself in a penalty controversy. During his time at Fulham, he attempted an ill-fated Panenka against West Ham United in November 2020 – a moment he referenced when accepting his CAF African Footballer of The Year award in December, showing his ability to learn and grow from such experiences.
The incident has led to speculation about Lookman’s future at the club, with many fans urging the forward to seek new opportunities elsewhere.
“This is insanely disrespectful to Lookman. He should just leave this club at the end of the season. I can see Osimhen’s situation all over again,” @Swaggzeez1 posted on X.
The parallel with Osimhen’s situation at Napoli is particularly pertinent. The striker’s relationship with the club soured following social media mockery after he ended their 33-year wait for a Serie A title, eventually leading to his departure to Galatasaray on loan.
However, Lookman himself remained defiant in his statement’s conclusion writing; “Life’s about challenges and turning pain into power which I’ll continue to do.”