Atalanta Coach Explains Why He Will Vote Ademola Lookman for 2024 Ballon d’Or
- Super Eagles star Ademola Lookman is the only African footballer nominated for the 2024 Ballon d'Or
- The Atalanta attacker’s highlight of his brilliant year was his hat trick in the UEFA Europa League final
- Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has explained why he will vote the Nigerian to win the award
Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has backed Ademola Lookman to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or, explaining why he will cast his vote for the Nigerian forward.
Lookman had a great year with the Super Eagles and Atalanta, helping the national team reach the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final in Ivory Coast.
Source: Getty Images
He also helped the Bergamo-based club win the UEFA Europa League. As noted by UEFA.com, his hat trick in the final is the first in the competition’s history.
His hat trick was remarkable as it handed Bayer Leverkusen their only loss of the season as the club won the German treble, going unbeaten throughout the year.
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Gasperini backs Lookman for Ballon d'Or
Atalanta boss Gasperini rates Lookman highly and has pledged to give him his vote for the Ballon d'Or, justifying his decision by explaining why he deserves it.
“My personal Ballon d’Or vote would go to Ademola Lookman... His magic skills helped us to win the Europa League,” he said per Tutto Atalanta.
Gasperini has previously admitted that he owes his career to the former Premier League attacker.
The Italian values the Europa League, as it was the first-ever trophy of his managerial career and the club's first European trophy. It was also the club's first trophy since the 1963 Coppa Italia.
Aside from the Ballon d'Or nomination in which he is the only African footballer, Lookman is the favourite to win the CAF African Footballer of the Year.
Ademola Lookman makes history
Briefly News reported that the Nigerian forward became only the second player in Atalanta's history to score and assist in a Champions League match, following in the footsteps of Duván Zapata, Atalanta's all-time highest-scoring foreigner.
The former Colombia international also holds the record as Atalanta’s top non-Italian goalscorer, netting 82 goals in 191 appearances for the club.
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Source: Legit.ng
