African Footballer of The Year Ademola Lookman has broken his silence on Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini’s harsh criticism, revealing that the designated taker instructed him to take the penalty in Tuesday’s Champions League exit to Club Brugge.
In an emotional statement released on Wednesday, Lookman expressed his hurt at being singled out by Gasperini, who had labelled him “one of the worst penalty-takers I’ve ever seen” after his spot-kick was saved in the 3-1 defeat.
“It saddens me on a day like this to have to write this statement – most of all because of what we have achieved together as a team and as a city,” Lookman wrote in his statement on X.
“Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurt but feels deeply disrespectful, not least because of the immense hard work and commitment I have always put in each and every day to help bring success to this club and to the incredible fans of Bergamo.”
The Nigerian forward, who had missed Atalanta’s previous six matches due to knee problems, made an immediate impact after being introduced at halftime with his side already trailing 3-0, scoring within 42 seconds to give the Italian side hope of a comeback.
However, when presented with a chance to further reduce the deficit from the penalty spot in the 61st minute, his effort was saved by former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, leading to unprecedented public criticism from his manager.
“Ademola Lookman is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen,” Gasperini said after the match. “He wanted to take the penalty after scoring a goal. He took the ball despite Retegui and De Keteleare being available to take it… I didn’t like what Lookman did.”
Lookman’s statement directly contradicts this version of events; “During the match, the designated penalty taker instructed me to take the penalty; and to support the team I took responsibility in the moment to do so.”
The 27-year-old also revealed he had faced other challenges during his time at the club writing, “In truth, I have dealt with many difficult moments during my time here – the majority of which I have never spoken about because in my opinion the team must always be protected and must come first. This makes what happened last night even more hurtful.”
The 66-year-old manager’s comments have sparked widespread outrage among supporters, who pointed out his apparent double standards in not similarly criticising designated penalty taker Mateo Retegui’s crucial misses this season or captain Rafael Toloi’s temperamental red card in the same match.
However, Lookman himself remained defiant in his statement’s conclusion writing; “Life’s about challenges and turning pain into power which I’ll continue to do.”
