Ademola Lookman: Nigeria Legend Argues Atalanta Winger Is Closer to Greatness Than Victor Osimhen

• Segun Odegbami believes Ademola Lookman is closer to football greatness than Victor Osimhen
• Lookman’s hat-trick in the Europa League and his 2023 AFCON performances mark his eliteness
• Odegbami sees Lookman as having made the final mental transition that Osimhen is still lacking

Nigerian football icon, Segun Odegbami, has praised Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman's recent performances, highlighting their potential for greatness.

However, he believes the Atalanta winger may currently be edging closer to football immortality than his Napoli compatriot.

Osimhen has had an extraordinary time, propelling Napoli to their first Serie A title in over 30 years and becoming the league's top scorer—the first African to achieve this feat.

His accomplishments were further recognized when he was named Africa's Footballer of the Year, a title no Nigerian had claimed since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999, per Fact Check Hub

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Despite these accolades, Odegbami feels the highly sought striker still needs to make a crucial mental leap to join the ranks of the truly great.

On the other hand, Odegbami sees Lookman as having already made significant strides in this direction. The 26-year-old delivered a standout performance in the Europa League final, netting a hat-trick to lead Atalanta BC to a 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

The victory marked the first time an African player scored a hat-trick in a European final. Leverkusen, who had been unbeaten in 52 previous matches across three competitions, succumbed to Lookman’s brilliance.

In addition to his Europa League heroics, Lookman was Nigeria’s top performer at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring three goals and providing an assist. Odegbami believes these achievements mark Lookman’s transition into football greatness

“In 90 minutes, at the moment of his club’s greatest challenge in football, he earned the transition rights through his performance. I saw in his eyes and heard in his voice the evidence of his metamorphosis from a really ‘good’ player to a ‘great’ one going forward. Ademola will never be the same player again," Odegbami told Complete Sports, as reported by Soccenet.

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Lookman concluded the 2023/24 season with 16 goals and nine assists across 44 appearances for Atalanta, cementing his status as one of the club's key players.

Finidi praises Ademola Lookman

Sports Brief reported that Nigeria coach, Finidi George, applauded Lookman's performance in the Europa League final.

The 53-year-old saw the winger's brilliance up close as an assistant coach during the 2023 AFCON.

Finidi said he looks forward to working with him as head coach after his recent appointment by the NFF.