₦airaland Forum

Nigeria striker Ademola Lookman said that switching his playing nationality from England to the Super Eagles in 2022 was key to his current success.

Lookman, who was born in London and represented the Three Lions at Under 17 level, helping them win their age-group World Cup, acknowledged that the decision to switch to Nigeria turned his career around.

"I think ever since I put on the Super Eagles jersey, it's been fruitful," Lookman said on SportyTV.

"We've been able to achieve a lot as a team and we're still going as a team. But the camaraderie is something that's very special within the squad.

"Ever since I joined the Super Eagles, everything has gone upwards for me."

CAF men's Player of the Year Lookman only made his debut for Nigeria two years ago, in the first leg of the ill-fated World Cup qualifying series against Ghana.

In less than two years, the Atalanta forward has gone from being a so-called Premier League flop, to being named Africa's best player.

Lookman's triumph at the CAF Awards on Dec. 16 hit a number of chords for Nigeria, the most significant of which is that he became the first Nigerian player born outside the country to win Africa's top award.

His accolades: Three goals and two assists which were pivotal to Nigeria reaching their eighth Africa Cup of Nations Final in Cote d'Ivoire in February.

At club level, he scored a European record hat-trick in a 3-0 win to hand Italian side, Atalanta the UEFA Europa Cup at the expense of hot favourites, Bayer Leverkusen in May. The Germans came into the game unbeaten and were as heavy odds-on favourites to win.

He's carried on this season, notching 12 goals and five assists in 19 appearances in all competitions for Atalanta, and scored two goals as Nigeria qualified for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations finals, with two other goals controversially chalked off.

All of these echo the sort of contributions that the likes of Osaze Odemwingie, and Victor Moses before him, brought to the Super Eagles as diaspora-born players.

More recently, Alex Iwobi, Leon Balogun, Ola Aina, Semi Ajayi, Bright Osayi-Samuel and captain William Troost-Ekong, have all come to become stalwarts of the Super Eagles.

"To me it's an incredible moment," Lookman said of his CAF Awards win. "An incredible achievement. It's special to be able to join the list of many great players who have achieved a lot in the game, legends.

"It's not just me but we have a lot of talent, not just in the men's game but also in the women's game, and for us to be able to give motivation to the young kids who want to aspire to be like us is the most important, because if we can set a good example, they have good footsteps to walk into."

Lexusgs430:
Three lions did not want him......

Truth be told, he is like old wine, he took time to mature........ 😂🍷🤣

Lexusgs430:
Three lions did not want him......

Truth be told, he is like old wine, he took time to mature........ 😂🍷🤣

Lexusgs430:
Three lions did not want him......

Truth be told, he is like old wine, he took time to mature........ 😂🍷🤣

Fiscus105:
Saka

Fiscus105:
Saka will struggle with Arsenal and England teams until he grows old without nothing to show for his great talent.

Temptation147:
Nothing concern me but E dey mind

IgboSomalia:
That one will be regretting by now.
His own is even better. There's the other scapegoat called Tammy Abraham.



Saka will see more shege than Harry Kane. Make we just dey look.

Eriokanmi:
Nigeria is a big name, to which success is attached. Our problem is leadership cum bigotry. Once we can commonly fight and overcome this, we'll reclaim our giants position in Africa and be envied by other countries. I remember Chidinma adetshina too. There was a time India was envying Nigeria. To get Nigerian visa by India in the 70s- early 90s was very difficult. India once recorded the highest Nigeria's visa refusal rate among other nations of the world.They'd come and bring their entire family. They schooled in our public secondary schools and universities.

Our IGR was fat and people were gainfully employed. Parents would do contributions to send their children to school cos education was lucrative. Sadly, the present generation who are defending the likes of Tinubu who damaged everything met nothing on ground. We still benefited partially from our sound education sector back then.

Today, no India wants to come. We're even the ones begging them to come and invest. They've taken their business elsewhere on same african continent to invest and India is fast becoming a developed nation despite their teeming population.

Their fruit market in ilupeju, Lagos is now a ghost town. Bad leaders have ruined our nation yet, some people are praising them out of bigotry. Buhari did his own and the north stood by him. It's now Tinubu's turn, instead of us to criticise his anti people policies, we're supporting him despite suffering and smiling. Are we also as unintelligent and illiterate as the north? I think they say we're more intelligent and can criticise bad governance. Why are we keeping quiet?

Noblechykk:
Saka has secured the future of his unborn generation. So what shege are you talking about?