Nigerian winger Ademola Lookman became the symbol of Atalanta’s success on the greatest evening in the Italian club’s history, when he scored a clean hat-trick against German champion Bayer Leverkusen, giving him his first continental title, on Wednesday in the European League (Europa League) final in football.
Leverkusen arrived in the Irish capital, Dublin, with a record of 51 matches without any loss, a distinguished record and close to a historic treble, after also reaching the German Cup final.
But the field was empty for Atalanta under the supervision of the experienced coach Gianpiero Gasperini, who finally reaped the great reward.
Lookman was not at all a candidate to score the first hat-trick in a continental competition final since 1975.
But the Nigerian expressed Gasperini’s coaching cunning and skill, which allowed a modest club that had only won the local cup title in 1963 to emerge from the mantle of its giant neighbors, Inter and Milan.
Lookman was born in England and is the product of Charlton’s youth academy, which sold him to Everton before joining German club Leipzig.
But he struggled with both clubs to find a starting opportunity, so he ended up on loan with Fulham and Leicester City in the English Premier League.
Former Atalanta sports director Lee Congerton was the reason he came to Atalanta, after previously working at Leicester, and his name will remain immortal in northern Italy, after he drew the most important hat-trick in Atalanta’s 116-year history.
“No one imagined they could achieve this progress,” Gasperini said.
He continued, “He achieved something that will remain immortal in football books.” “He presented himself as a great player who gave his team the win.”
His hat-trick raised his tally with La Dea to thirty goals in two seasons. He also contributed to the Nigerian national team reaching the final of the African Cup of Nations at the beginning of the year, where it lost to the host Côte d’Ivoire.
At the age of twenty-six, he believes that his career will take off strongly. “I have always believed in my abilities. In recent years, I have been able to rise to a new level with a steady rhythm.”
He continued, “I am happy with my progress, but it is only the beginning. “I hope for more such evenings.”
Lookman was not the only diamond that Gasperini polished on his way to transforming Atalanta into a major force in the Italian League and on the continental level.
He formed a striking attacking trio this season with Belgian Charles de Ketelaar and Gianluca Scamaca, after their difficult journeys with Milan and English West Ham, respectively.
“Since my first conversations with him, my outlook on football has changed,” Lookman explained.
He added, “It simplified things in my mind and I began to approach matches with a different outlook.”
Gasperini reiterated his feeling that it does not need a title to justify his good work over the last eight years: “I never believed in my life that one title would change our journey. “The chain we achieved is more important than a piece of silver.”
The sixty-six-year-old added, “Tonight’s match is the result of a journey.”
Despite this, the former Genoa coach acknowledged that Atalanta’s first title in 61 years and the first in his coaching career is a rare achievement for an unqualified team in a sport usually dominated by those with big budgets. “Winning the title with Atalanta is one of those fairy tales that rarely gives preference to merit.”
He added, “This confirms that teams that do not have huge budgets can achieve great achievements.”