Lookman seemed like a failed prodigy, now he surpasses the best striker in the world
NIGERIA entered the Africa Cup of Nations with the best striker in the competition – perhaps even the world.
Yet Napoli star Victor Osimhen is surpassed at the Super Eagles by another attacker who once belonged to this parish.
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Ademola Lookman was born in Wandsworth, came through at Charlton after being unearthed in the Sunday League, earned a move to Everton and had loans at Fulham and Leicester.
He also won eleven caps for England Under-21s. But in 2022, he switched his allegiance to Nigeria, where his parents are from, and hasn't looked back since.
After scoring both goals in the last 16 win over Cameroon and then the winner against Angola in the quarter-finals, the 26-year-old has become a talisman for his adopted country.
He will be even more important for today's semi-final against South Africa as 25-year-old Osimhen is ruled out due to abdominal complaints.
It's a rise for a player who might never have turned pro had he not been spotted by scouts playing for Waterloo a decade ago.
He quickly worked his way into the Addicks first team, making his senior debut less than a fortnight after his 18th birthday, but could not save the club from relegation from the Championship.
There was a lot of transfer buzz about him that summer, but it wasn't until the following January that he earned a dream move: an £11million move to the Prem from Everton.
Ricky Holmes, 36, battled with Lookman for a spot on the wing in League One for half a season and recalls being an undeniable natural talent, if not modest.
Holmes, who still plays for Farnborough, told SunSport: “He thought he had already made it but he still had a lot to learn.
'But he got through it and has had a great career. I could only dream of achieving what he has.”
Lookman's achievements include scoring within a minute of his Toffees debut in a 4-0 win over Manchester City in 2017, handing Pep Guardiola the worst defeat of Pep Guardiola's Etihad career.
Lookman's story was one of ambition, always looking for an opportunity to get playing time.
This is currently happening for his country and also for his club Atalanta in the Italian Serie A, where he has scored 22 goals in 56 games.
He revealed last week that he still wants to 'play at the highest level' and claimed in an interview that he is a 'different player' to the one the Premier League remembers.
Lookman has certainly come on in leaps and bounds since those early days at Charlton, as has another old teammate of Holmes.
Holmes added: “He could do something unusual, similar to Ivan Toney. I played with Ivan when he was a young boy at Northampton.
“During training they would just do something and you would think: 'Wow, this boy is special'.
“Ade picked up the ball, dribbled past two players and put it in the top corner and you thought, 'How did you just do that?'
“You just knew that with that ability he was going to step up to bigger and better things and in the end he did.
'That also applies to Ivan. You don't often come across those kinds of players.”
One man who is backing Lookman to return to the top is Scott Parker – his boss during his time at Fulham.
Parker told SunSport: Parker told SunSport: “Ade is an incredible human being, grounded and respectful.
“He is someone who is always trying to improve and get better. It goes without saying that he is an enormous talent and has great quality.
“But for me, it's his overall professionalism and his attitude of wanting to continually improve his game that makes him stand out.”
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