The general public discovered for good a great Nigerian talent on Wednesday evening after his masterclass at Dublin. Sublime triple scorer (12th, 26th, 75th) in the final of the Europa League, Ademola Lookman offered Atalanta Bergamo the first European Cup in its history, against Bayer Leverkusen (3-0) who had been invincible from the start of the season, all competitions combined.
The unforgettable season of the Xabi Alonso gang, easily German champion, crashed against an extremely experienced team, defeaters of Sporting Portugal, Liverpool and OM in the previous rounds. But also a 26-year-old player in a state of grace, like his immense number on his second goal, with a small bridge over Granit Xhaka and a clear shot from the right from outside the area in the process.
Only the 5th player to score a hat-trick in the final
“I have always had confidence in my ability to create, to score goals, to help my teammates,” explained the hero of the transalpine triumph soberly. Over the last two years I have been able to take my game to a whole new level. Maybe it could have happened sooner, but it’s only the beginning. I hope to have more nights like this and continue to improve. Together we wrote history. »
On a personal note, the Nigerian international, born in England, also wrote it. Only four players had previously scored a hat-trick in a European final, namely the legendary Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano, the Italian Pierino Prati and the German Jupp Heynckes. We have to go back to 1975, with the latter, then a striker for Borussia Mönchengladbach, to find a trace of such a performance in a major continental final. At the time, Atalanta Bergamo boss Gian Piero Gasperini was not yet an adult.
“It’s not all about big, cold numbers”
“Having won this trophy with Atalanta is perhaps one of those football fairy tales,” believes the coach since 2016 of this charming “Dea”. According to him, the transalpine club with a modest budget experienced its “peak” on Wednesday. Four years after his unfortunate quarter-final of the Champions League against PSG (1-0 in the 89th, 1-2 at the end), here he is on the roof of Europe, and back in the Champions League the next season.
“It’s not all about big, cold numbers,” concludes Gian Piero Gasperini (66). We can also believe in teams that have smaller budgets. » A message which should resonate once and for all with the leaders of our French clubs, while awaiting a third European Cup since 1996.