Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has credited Ademola Lookman with bringing a dimension to his squad that he has not encountered throughout his tenure at the Spanish club, following their hard-fought progression to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
Despite falling 2-1 to Barcelona in Tuesday night’s second leg, Atletico advanced on a 3-2 aggregate scoreline — their first appearance in the final four of European football’s premier club competition since the 2016–17 season. Lookman, who participated for 66 minutes, was instrumental in the tie, scoring the decisive goal that secured the overall progression.
“He’s brilliant offensively, he’s very courageous, and he’s very good in one-on-one situations. Since I’ve been at the club, we’ve never had players like that with those features,” Simeone said after the match. The Argentine also underlined Lookman’s development beyond the attacking phase of play: “He’s still evolving, he’s improving a lot defensively, which makes him even more important, and of course, he’s carrying more weight in the team.”
Simeone went further in explaining how Lookman’s presence has shaped Atletico’s tactical approach in recent weeks. “We are betting everything on playing almost four forwards… The amount of running we did was unbelievable, and Lookman’s offensive importance gave pace to the team when he was on the ball.” The coach also made clear he believes the Super Eagles forward has more to offer, adding: “We need more from him, he has more in his tank and we’ve seen it in Nigeria and well, he’s always played great.”
Lookman joined Atletico Madrid from Atalanta in the winter transfer window for a reported fee of €35 million. Since arriving in Madrid, the 27-year-old has contributed six goals and four assists across all competitions — nine combined goal contributions in total — a return that has drawn widespread attention, including comparisons to Ballon d’Or contenders from some quarters of the football media.
The Nigerian international had already established himself as one of Europe’s most dangerous wide forwards prior to his move to Spain. He was a standout performer for Atalanta during their 2023–24 UEFA Europa League title-winning campaign, netting a hat-trick in the final against Bayer Leverkusen — a performance that significantly raised his profile on the continent.
Atletico’s semi-final opponents will be determined by the outcome of the quarter-final tie between Arsenal and Sporting CP. The first leg of the last-four stage is scheduled for April 28 or 29, with the return fixture set for May 5 or 6. Should Atletico progress, it would represent their first Champions League final since 2016, when they lost to rivals Real Madrid on penalties.
