ADEMOLA Lookman explained how he has stetted at Atalanta after his hat-trick heroics gave the Serie A club the first European trophy in their history.
Former Charlton Athletic winger Lookman ripped Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Lverkusen to shreds in Dublin on Wednesday night as the Italian side ended the Germans’ 51-game unbeaten record in all competitions this season with their 3-0 win.
Wandsworth’s Lookman had played for five different clubs, including the Addicks, before the age of 25.
After coming through at The Valley, Lookman signed for Everton in 2017, before loan and permanent deals at RB Leipzig, and further loans with Fulham and Leicester City.
Lookman joined Atalanta in 2022 and manager Gian Piero Gasperini has clearly discovered the key to getting the best out of him.
Lookman joined his boss for the victorious press conference and reflected on his time in Bergamo in northern Italy.
“The past few years, the club and coach have supported me in terms of giving me minutes,” Lookman said. “It’s helped me elevate my game to a new level.
“The first few conversations we had made me look at football a bit differently. It made it simpler in my mind in terms of what he expected from me.
“It made me look at, and play, my game in a different light. I’m very grateful to him.”
Lookman added: “I feel the support from the fans from the first minute I was in Bergamo. The city of Bergamo gives me a sense of calmness. It’s a very calm, relaxed city and that has helped me a lot with my living style. I’m focused on the important things.
Lookman is the sixth player to score a hat-trick in a European final, the first since Jupp Heynckes for Borussia Monchengladbach in the 1975 Uefa Cup decider.
Gasperini said: “We had a senior manager at Atalanta [Lee Congerton] who had worked at Leicester, who saw the opportunity to bring him in and thought he was a possible useful player.
“Nobody could ever imagine he’d could make this much progress. He wasn’t overly prolific in England. I changed his position to a more attacking role.
“Tonight he achieved something which will remain in the annals of football history – a stunning hat-trick.”
Lookman isn’t surprised by what he has achieved.
“Probably, yeah. I’ve always had the confidence in my ability,” he replied when asked if he could have imagined such a night when he was growing up in South London.
“In the past two years I’ve been able to take my game to a new level and show it on a more consistent basis.
“Maybe it could have come earlier but it’s come now. I’m pleased with the progress I’ve made but this is just the beginning. I hope for more nights like this.”
Gasperini poetically summed up his side’s achievement. He said: “I am hugely proud for all of Italy because it was a cursed trophy. Having won it with Atalanta is perhaps one of those footballing fairytales that rarely crop up.
“It gives hope for meritocracy. It doesn’t come down to Super Leagues. You can show faith in other teams without big bills and budgets.
“Let’s try to savour this win before thinking about how far we can go next season. This team has grown with results. We’ve done so while making sure we balance the books or turn a profit and that’s the most exceptional element of this club.
“Typically the clubs who are winning things struggle to keep costs down. Atalanta have managed to win things while being a financially sustainable club. That’s extraordinary.”
