Bayer Leverkusen had not lost all season. On 22 May 2024, in the Europa League final in Dublin, Ademola Lookman scored three goals past them, and Atalanta won 3-0.
It was the first hat-trick ever scored in a Europa League final. It was also the moment Lookman, a winger who had moved from club to club, became a star.
London roots
Lookman was born in London in 1997 to Nigerian parents. He began at Charlton Athletic, then moved to Everton. Loans and transfers followed: RB Leipzig in Germany, Fulham and Leicester City in England.
He showed flashes of talent everywhere he went, but he struggled to hold a permanent place in a top team.
Choosing Nigeria
Lookman played for England’s youth teams, but in 2022 he switched to Nigeria. He became a regular for the Super Eagles and helped them reach the final of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire, scoring three goals in the tournament. Nigeria lost the final to the hosts.
Atalanta
At Atalanta in Italy, under coach Gian Piero Gasperini, Lookman found a system that suited him. He played with freedom, scored regularly and grew in confidence.
Dublin
Leverkusen came into the final unbeaten in the season, having won the German title. Lookman scored in the first half, added a second soon after, and completed his hat-trick in the second half with a powerful finish.
He became the first African to score a hat-trick in the final of a major UEFA club competition. It was also the first hat-trick in a major European final since 1969.
African Footballer of the Year
In December 2024, at the CAF Awards in Marrakech, Lookman was named African Footballer of the Year, ahead of other leading candidates. The award recognised his European final and his performances for Nigeria.
The record books
The last hat-trick in a major European club final before Lookman’s had come from Pierino Prati for AC Milan in the 1969 European Cup final. Lookman’s goals also gave Atalanta the first European trophy in the club’s history.
What it means
For Nigerian football, Lookman’s success continued a run of top players, following Victor Osimhen’s award the year before.
From journeyman to champion
For years, Lookman’s career looked like a list of loans. One night in Dublin changed how people remembered it. The player who kept moving clubs ended up with a record nobody else in the competition has matched.
