Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Extended Clip - Ademola Lookman: From Sunday League To Atalanta’s Europa League Final Hat-trick Hero (Ep. 420)
1.4k Plays2 years ago
After becoming the 6th player ever to score a hattrick in an UEFA European cup final to win the Europa League for Atalanta, Nima Tavallaey and Carlo Garganese discuss and analyze the historic nature of this achievement as well as debate if he should be on the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or.
This is a clip from the weekly Thursday episode of the Italian Football Podcast.
To get the full episode + NEVER miss an episode of The Italian Football Podcast (as well as support the show), go to Patreon.com/TIFP or on Spotify to become a Patron for only $2.99 USD per month (excluding VAT).
Recommended
Transcript
Historic Individual Performance in European Final
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast.
00:00:20
Speaker
greatest individual performances by a player in a European final. And not just for an Italian team, but by any of them. You said on your post-match pod last night, I mean, how many, six or seven players in history and not nearly 50 years, 49 years, as a player scored a hat trick in a major European final?
00:00:45
Speaker
The last one was Jupenckes in 75 for Borussia-Menschungladbach. What a hat-trick it was! I don't think any of those that did score a hat-trick would have scored a hat-trick as good as that. What was that?
Analyzing the Hat-Trick Performance
00:01:00
Speaker
I'm sorry, but the first goal, nothing spectacular, but the second goal, the nutmeg on Chaka, the dribbling, the balance, the control,
00:01:10
Speaker
Not to mention the third one as well. A couple of steppos. The third one is in Unreal. I mean for me I just immediately thought of the Pirelli slogan from the 90s, La Potensei nula sensei il controlo. Power is nothing without control.
00:01:26
Speaker
which they released of course it was about Ronaldo and R9 because that's where he was you know whatever but I'm not making any comparisons between them but for me his performance last night was was that slogan he embodied it power is nothing without control because he had everything he had power he had control he had composure he had technique he had intelligence it was the perfect performance
00:01:46
Speaker
No, it was. It was.
Comparing Lookman to Football Legends
00:01:48
Speaker
And I mean, you compared, you made a comparison there to Ronaldo. I mean, listen, no one's saying he's Ronaldo, but that was a Ronaldo performance. Let's be honest. I mean, you know, just because his name is Adam Ola Lukman, you know, people are not going to, you know, people. And he's also a Premier League reject. He was a reject at Everton, blah, blah, blah.
00:02:08
Speaker
Oh no, it's an amazing story. I mean, this is a guy. I honestly think that last night, you know, last night when you talk about, I always say that for me, who's the best player in the world is, you know, it's like, it depends on that day. Last night, Adamon Alokman was the best player in the world.
00:02:27
Speaker
It was a performance by a player, but it was a worldy performance. There's no doubt about it. Last night, I really think he was, only last night, he was the best player in the world.
Lookman's Unique Abilities on the Field
00:02:39
Speaker
I really think that. It was incredible. I mean, you said Ronaldo, he reminded me of Roberto Baccio. I tweeted out the Nigerian... Second goal. Second goal reminded me, you know which goal does... Bulgaria, semi-final. Bulgaria, semi-final. You know, he cuts in from the left. He skips past his man. Okay, this was a nutmeg.
00:02:58
Speaker
The way he whipped it around the corner, that's the first thing I thought of. As soon as I saw that boy at the back of the neck in the corner, the first thing I thought of was Badger. But for me, it was like I said, I didn't compare it to Ronaldo, just that slogan, power is nothing without control.
00:03:16
Speaker
Well, that's what makes him great in him is that he really does have, I mean, he is for a small, he's very small. He's only five foot six, I think. He is, you don't, he doesn't get pushed off the wheel. He's so, so strong on the board, uses his body really well. He's stocky. He's like a ball, like a little ball, but he, but he's got, he's got the strength, but he's got the skill. I mean, the way that he dribbles past plays and he can do it, what makes him, what makes him great is that he can do it in space.
Impact of Coaching on Lookman's Development
00:03:40
Speaker
So he can dribble past plays in space. Uh,
00:03:43
Speaker
but he can also dribble past plays in close spaces as well. He's so good at slowing it down, standing the player up, and then beating him for skill. He's got everything. He can go right, he can go left. He's got the step overs, as we saw with his last goal. I mean, he's brilliant. I mean, it just shows you that this is what I mean about when you've got the right coach.
00:04:09
Speaker
you can bring out the best in a player. And obviously we'll come to Gasparini in a little bit, and there's been no one better than him at doing this in recent years.
Lookman's Journey from Sunday League to European Success
00:04:19
Speaker
But his story, look, is incredible. I mean, at the age of 16, he was playing Sunday League football. I mean, that is a Waterloo. And that is almost unheard of to be at the age of 16 playing Sunday League football to then go on and make it as a
00:04:38
Speaker
Well, Jamie Vardy, Jamie Vardy, his career is also... Yeah, it's so rare. These stories, it's very... If you're 16 years old and you're playing Sunday League football, the chances of you making it as a professional, let alone as a top professional at this level in the final of the big European competition,
00:04:59
Speaker
You're talking 0.1%. Also, if you look at the number of knocks that he's had, because he then did emerge as a really, really talented young teenager, look man.
Challenges and Triumphs in Lookman's Club Career
00:05:14
Speaker
He went to Everton, it didn't work out. Then he went to Leipzig, there's been very few clubs as good as Leipzig at developing
00:05:24
Speaker
Developing young youngsters, you know, they're up there with Atalanta for the number of youngsters that they produce and home He didn't do it there. Then he came to Fulham Had a decent start didn't work out there. Then he went on loan to Leicester didn't work out there and you know, he He played for the chose to commit to Nigeria instead of England got Nigerian parents or they he was born in England and You're thinking well at the age of 24, I think when he joined atalanta you're thinking well this this this he's not gonna make it
00:05:56
Speaker
It's a Jampieri Gasparini, and this is what happens. I mean, wow. I mean, incredible. Absolutely incredible. And for me, he should be... Some people
Should Lookman be on the Ballon d'Or Shortlist?
00:06:11
Speaker
by reflex action will think this sounds crazy, but then take a little step back and have a think about this. For me, he should be on the Ballon d'Or shortlist this season. He's been three finals this year. He's been the man of the match, obviously, in the Europa League final with one of the greatest performances in a European final. OK, it's not the Champions League, but like I said, it's in a competition where Atalanta have beaten Champions League teams. He's done this in the final against the best team in Europe this season.
00:06:40
Speaker
he was in the final of the Coppertalia where he was the only Atalanta player that impressed, he hit the post in that, he played well in that final, let's be honest. He played in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, he scored three goals for Nigeria, he was one of the best players in the tournament and he's had an excellent season for Atalanta, he's scored 15 goals, eight assists and that's 23 goal contributions, still two games to go from a deep attacking role, it's not striker,
00:07:03
Speaker
For me, he has to be on a 30-man shortlist. I'm not saying he's going to win. He's not going to win the Ballon d'Or. It's going to go to someone that does well at the Euros or someone that wins the Champions League. I'm not saying he should win it, but he should 100% be on the Ballon d'Or shortlist.
00:07:18
Speaker
No, no, no. I think when you do things at this level, this big, this important, you do make waves. I think he will be on amongst the top 20 for sure. He should be amongst the top 20 in the world based on this season. I think so. I think so. He deserves it.