Charlton Athletic academy graduate Ademola Lookman has admitted he is excited about the prospect of facing Arsenal in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League.
The former African Footballer of the Year was the hero of Atletico Madrid’s 3–2 aggregate victory over Barcelona, pulling a goal back after the Catalan side had drawn level in the tie through strikes from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres.
Lookman has a descent record against Arsenal from his time in England with Everton, Fulham and Leicester City, registering one win, two draws and two defeats across five appearances.
The Super Eagles forward acknowledged the magnitude of the encounter but maintained that reaching the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League naturally guarantees elite opposition.
"Another top team. You are in the semifinals of the Champions League, top teams, so it's amazing," Lookman told SportyTV.
Should Atletico Madrid overcome Arsenal in the semifinals, the La Liga side will face either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest on May 30, 2026.
Lookman played down talk of Atletico Madrid potentially reaching the Champions League final and his immediate priority is Saturday's Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad.
"The problem with the scenarios is not thinking about what is to come in the future. I can’t really answer that question now because on Saturday we’ve got another tough final," he explained.
"For me, that is the most important thing now — preparing for that and being the best we can in that fixture. Talking about scenarios in the future for me is difficult to give you an answer for that."
A winter signing from Atalanta, Lookman has six goals and four assists in seventeen all-competition appearances for Atletico Madrid.
Ifeanyi Emmanuel
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