Sport
“I’ve Always Believed in Myself” – Ademola Lookman Reflects on His Rise with Atalanta
Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman has credited Serie A club Atalanta for playing a crucial role in his impressive rise to football stardom.
After a challenging start to his career, Lookman’s move to Atalanta in 2022 proved to be the turning point he needed.
Before joining the Italian club, Lookman struggled to find his footing in the Premier League, having stints at Everton, Fulham, and Leicester City without making a significant impact.
His time at Bundesliga side RB Leipzig also proved difficult, and for a while, it seemed as though his potential might go unfulfilled.
However, everything changed when Lookman made the move to Atalanta.
In just a short time, he transformed into one of the most exciting forwards in Europe, a feat that culminated in him being named Africa’s best player during the prestigious awards ceremony in Marrakech, Morocco.
Reflecting on his success, Lookman explained that the environment at Atalanta has been key to his development.
“The environment that the club provided for me has been a huge factor in my growth as a player,” he shared in an interview with Flashscore.
“It’s not just about my personal belief in myself, but also about the perfect timing.
I’ve always known I could achieve great things, and now, the time has come.”
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened up about a difficult period in his career, revealing that he almost stepped away from football.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bassey shared that he once made a personal promise to himself to quit pursuing football professionally if he failed to secure a spot at a professional club.
“I remember being 15 and going into my final year, and I told myself that if I didn’t get into a professional club, I would quit football. It was that simple,” he said.
“I would just stop pursuing it seriously and only play for fun. Thank God I eventually got a club, because I honestly don’t know where I would be otherwise.”
It has been reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Egypt $5,000 following their clash with Zimbabwe for failing to manage post-match media obligations.
It was noted that after the match, the Egyptian players ignored the media. This action was said to be a violation of CAF’s media regulations, which led to the fine being imposed.
Head of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, shared that the big-name players on the team are not happy about being benched.
He recalled when he took out Samuel Chukwueze during the match against Tanzania.
“Yes, of course, we’ve in this team a lot of big names. They are competitors; they aren’t happy when they go to the bench,” Chelle said at his post-match interview.”
“My job is to make choices, and we’re playing a 4-4-2 diamond, and at this moment I feel we have to protect the wing.”
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