Former Super Eagles head coach José Peseiro has shed light on Ademola Lookman’s decision to commit his international future to Nigeria rather than continue waiting for a senior England call-up.
Born in London to Nigerian parents, Lookman represented England at U19, U20 and U21 levels before Fifa approved his application to switch his international allegiance to Nigeria in February 2022.
His finest moment as an England youth international came when he won the 2017 Fifa U20 World Cup, starting the final alongside future Three Lions players Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Dominic Solanke, Lewis Cook, Fikayo Tomori and Kyle Walker-Peters.
The Nigeria Football Federation closely monitored Lookman for six years, with former Technical Director of the NFF, Bitrus Bewarang telling allnigeriasoccer.com that the Charlton Athletic academy graduate would eventually be persuaded to represent the Super Eagles.
A former African Footballer of the Year, the versatile attacker sealed a deadline-day switch to Atlético Madrid and, only last weekend, made history as the first English-born player to feature in the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga and La Liga.
Speaking on Lookman's deadline move to Atletico Madrid, the Portuguese football tactician told Marca: "For him it’s a challenge , it’s a very important point in his career because now he has achieved the goal he always had of reaching one of the best clubs in Europe...and continuing to show England that they made a mistake with him."
Peseiro suggested that Lookman was puzzled as to why his steady progression at youth level failed to earn him recognition with England’s senior side.
“He was still very young, but he often told me how sad he felt. After winning the Under-20 World Cup in 2017 and moving up to the Under-21s, England stopped calling him up. He couldn’t understand it. He believed he had a future there, but in the end, he had to accept the situation.”
With his parents of Nigerian heritage, Lookman embraced the opportunity to represent the Super Eagles, a decision made before Peseiro’s arrival as head coach.
"He had already made his debut for Nigeria, but he was not playing regularly,” Peseiro continued.
"I recognised his potential, made him a consistent starter, and he flourished. He went on to deliver outstanding seasons and played a crucial role in our run to the Africa Cup of Nations final, as well as in Atalanta’s Europa League triumph, where he scored a remarkable hat-trick in the final."
While Victor Osimhen has often drawn the spotlight, Peseiro believes Lookman's contribution has been equally significant.
"Osimhen has been the star, but Lookman has not been far behind. In fact, he has even scored more goals — six in 13 matches, compared to Osimhen’s five in 14. Now, they are both stars.”
Lookman has been the standout performer for the Super Eagles at back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, directly contributing to 11 goals (six goals and five assists) in 13 appearances.
Ifeanyi Emmanuel
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