Europa League final: Lookman and the future of Finidi George’s new Eagles

BY ARUKAINO UMUKORO

When the stars aligned for Ademola Olajade Alade Aylola Lookman on a stellar European night, it was a constellation with a ticker-tape parade in the Dublin skies. English-born, but Nigerian in heart, soul and grit. That Dublin night was a spectacular collision of time and chance. And when Destiny chose the biggest stage of his football career thus far, Xabi Alonso’s Invincibles were left to wonder what might have been.

It’s been less than a week since his twinkle-toed heroics for Atalanta in the Europa League final against the all-conquering German side Bayer Leverkusen, who, until that Wednesday night, were on a record-breaking 51-game unbeaten run. But with Lookman on the pitch, the German Invincibles were vincible that night. The Nigerian’s devastating hat-trick handed the Italian club side their first silverware since 1963 and the first for their 66-year-old coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, in 21 years of coaching.

Before Atalanta, the Nigerian winger had played Sunday League football for Waterloo FC, and later began his football career with Charlton Athletic, in England. His odyssey across Europe took him to Everton, RB Leipzig, Fulham and Leicester City (both on loan), and eventually to Italy’s northern region of Bergamo, Lombardy, which has a rich cultural history and houses a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With an impressive hat trick in the 3-0 win to clinch Atalanta’s first trophy since the Coppa Italia triumph 61 years ago, Lookman has carved a glorious heritage for himself with the passionate club fanbase, even when he eventually decides to leave the club. After all, before him, only five players have scored a hat trick in any European final. He is also the first man to do so since Jupp Heynckes for Borussia Monchengladbach in the 1975 UEFA Cup.

Charlton, Everton. RB Leipzig. England’s Three Lions. These teams would be left to wonder what they missed. Once a rough diamond, he’s now a precious gem courted by Europe’s elites.

Born and raised in England by Nigerian parents, Lookman’s early years were formed in Peckham, and his tough upbringing added steel to his belief that he would become a prolific professional footballer in the future. Although he represented England at the Under-20 level, before switching to Nigeria in 2022, the 26-year-old’s decision had been a long time coming.

“To play for Nigeria is an honour first of all and the best decision I ever made. I’m happy I made it.” Lookman said in an earlier interview.

After the Europa League final he reechoed this in his post-match interview. “It’s incredible (to play for Nigeria). The support and the love I get back home from the people is unbelievable. It gives me the motivation to evolve in different areas as a person, not just in my game.”

Lookman’s exploits are a testament to the power of discipline, persistence and hard work, noted international football journalist and broadcaster, Osasu Obayiuwana.

“If you followed the trajectory of his career, he has had to struggle quite a bit in some of the clubs he played for before he ended up at Atalanta. But he believed in himself and didn’t give up. He continued to improve on his game and at Atalanta, I think he found an environment and a coach who was able to create an environment where he could express his talent and play the way he should play to the nest of his ability. I think it is really important to know that in football, if you don’t have that kind of environment, even when you have the talent, you may never have the opportunity to show it.”

With his recent heroics, Obayiuwana said the Nigerian winger may already be in contention for the African Player of the Year prize, but it might be too early to judge because the Player of the Year is selected at the end of the calendar year.

“But this has been a really important year for Lookman; not only was he the outstanding player for Atalanta in the Europa League, but he was also a very important player for Nigeria during the AFCON (scoring three goals) in Cote d’Ivoire, especially when Victor Osimhen was not delivering the goods,” he said.

“We still have another six months to go and it’s difficult to assess whether he would still be the most dominant player of one of Africa’s most dominant players in Europe by the end of the year. So, we’ll just have to see how well he does in the opening months of the new (next) season. But he’s certainly a contender.”

Also, playing for Nigeria has helped Lookman’s football career because he was given the opportunity to show that he could be an attacking lynchpin for the Super Eagles aside from Osimhen. “The Africa Cup of Nations performance was a big boost for him,” Obayiuwana added.

For Gasperini, the trophy was worth the wait having coached Atalanta for the last eight years into a one of the finest attacking sides in Europe. Having lost three Coppa Italia finals with Atalanta, the Italian has now become the fourth oldest manager to win a major European trophy after Raymond Goethals, Jupp Heynckes and Sir Alex Ferguson. What a turnaround for a man who would have been axed after just five matches during his first season with Atalanta.

“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,” Gasperini said after his team won the Europa League.

The current Super Eagles boast of an enviable crop in every department, with attacking options bleeding with potential and class. The likes of Victor Osimhen, Lookman, Victor Boniface, Nathan Tella, Taiwo Awoniyi, Terem Moffi, Gift Orban and Paul Onuachu would precipitate jitters and drive fear into the hearts of any defensive setup.

This plethora of talents Finidi George has to work could be compared with that available for former coach Clemens Westerhof during the golden era of Super Eagles pre-1994, the year they won the Nations Cup and reached the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup. During Westerhof’s era, several key Super Eagles players plied their trade with leading European club sides – Rashidi Yekini, Samson Siasia, Jay Kay Okocha, Finidi, Daniel Amokachi, Austin Eguavoen, Emmanuel Amuneke, Taribo West, Sunday Oliseh, among others. With the likes of Lookman, Osimhen and others, this new generation of Super Eagles may herald the beginning of another golden generation.

Finidi has the antecedents to lead the new Super Eagles to great heights. But as we have seen in some instances globally; a great player does not always necessarily become a great coach. As a result, the jury is still out on the ex-winger nicknamed Finito. But, having been part of one golden generation of Super Eagles stars, he now has the responsibility now to make another one in his image, with a ticker-tape parade laced with golden moments and trophies. With the right coaching and footballing conditions, backed by adequate resources and excellent organization, anything is possible.

But unlike Gasperini, Finidi does not have the luxury of time to keep Nigeria waiting for another trophy since their last Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 2013. Nevertheless, it takes time, perseverance and consistency to build great teams and legacies. That’s why the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, need to give the new Super Eagles coach ample time to build a team with the winning DNA, just like Gasperini did with Atalanta.

The golden generation that Clemens Westerhof assembled wasn’t based on performance over a one-year period. The Dutchman had five years to build a winning team. He led the Super Eagles to the AFCON final in 1990, followed it up with a bronze in 1992, then won the trophy in 1994. There is need to give local coaches ample time like their foreign counterparts to spot and develop Nigerian players both at home and abroad.

The new Super Eagles coach may need at least two years to cement the foundation laid by former coach Joe Peseiro. And having shown faith in local coaches this time, the NFF must also be deliberate in giving Finidi full support. Of course, given Nigeria’s proud football heritage and pedigree, the minimum expected of any Super Eagles coach is qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations and then the FIFA Senior World Cup. Winning the biggest prize in continental football and going further on the FIFA World Cup stage should be goals for the new coach. But he needs time and support to build what could become the next golden generation of Super Eagles.

This article was originally published on Africa Interviews and republished here with permission