made history on Wednesday as he became the first player in history to score a hat-trick in the final. The Atalanta man came stole the show against Bayer Leverkusen, single-handedly ending the German club's impressive undefeated streak with a surprisingly comfortable 3-0 win. The result secured the Serie A side's first-ever European trophy, and it was a star-making showing from Lookman, who has taken his game to new heights since joining Atalanta in 2022.
Lifting the trophy after such an impressive performance is the pinnacle of his career so far - and he's come a very long way from the young forward who made headlines for all the wrong reasons during a loan spell at Fulham. Ademola Lookman has 23 goal contributions for Atalanta during the 2023-24 season As the Cottagers fought against relegation during the 2020-21 season, they brought the forward in on loan from RB Leipzig, and he contributed a little, with four goals in the Premier League. He had the chance to become a hero, though, when - trailing 1-0 to West Ham United - were awarded a penalty in the dying stages of a league match.
Lookman was the man handed the opportunity to score from the spot-kick and save the day for Scott Parker's side. Unfortunately, that wasn't how things played out. Taking penalties is one of the most intense actions in football.
The pressure is on, but to take one in the closing stages of a game, with the chance to level things up, it doesn't really get much more tense. Lookman showed no signs of.
