Peter Crouch hails ‘football nomad’ Ademola Lookman after the former Everton flop’s stunning hat-trick fired Atalanta to Europa League glory in final against Bayer Leverkusen
- Ademola Lookman scored a brilliant hat-trick to win the Europa League title
- Peter Crouch was full of praise for the former Everton striker’s performance
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Peter Crouch heaped praise on ‘football nomad’ Ademola Lookman after the 26-year-old scored a stunning hat-trick to win the Europa League for Atalanta.
Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin ended the Bundesliga’s dream of completing an unbeaten season as Atalanta inflicted a first defeat of the season.
Lookman was the star of the show as he completed a hat-trick inside 75 minutes at the Aviva Stadium to give the Serie A side the first European title in the club’s history.
His phenomenal goal return also made the former Fulham and Everton striker the first player ever to score three goals in a Europa League final, marking a career highlight.
Lookman’s journey to this moment has been a long one, with the London-born star first reaching the professional ranks at Charlton before later moving to Everton, where he struggled, scoring just one goal in 36 appearances.
Peter Crouch praised Ademola Lookman (centre) after his hat-trick won Atalanta the Europa League title
Lookman was mobbed by his Atalanta teammates after lifting the club’s first European trophy
Crouch praised Lookman’s determination as he beamed at the ‘football nomad”s performance
Further moves to RB Leipzig, Fulham and Leicester all followed before he made the switch to Italy two years ago, with former Liverpool striker Crouch explaining that Lookman has found his ‘home’ in Italy.
“This is why you play football. Someone like Lookman who has always been there, sometimes a football nomad, someone who has been in the Sunday League, on loan to Charlton and Fulham, Leicester, RB Leipzig, he has gone through the houses to get to the moment where he has a house today has found and scored a hat-trick in a European cup final,” Crouch told TNT Sport.
“It’s an amazing story and those fans will never forget the name Ademola Lookman, it’s absolutely sensational.
“It’s obviously very emotional for him, his family I’m sure, and it was a football masterclass from Gasperini. They were brilliant as a team but so happy for Lookman,” he added.
Lookman’s sensational three-goal strike handed Bayer Leverkusen their first defeat of the season
The 26-year-old (left) previously had an unsuccessful spell at Everton and Fulham
Lookman led Atalanta’s title celebrations as he was hoisted into the air by his teammates and manager Gian Piero Gasperini, while also collecting the Europa League Player of the Match award.
Beaming in the immediate aftermath of ending Atalanta’s 61-year wait for silverware, Lookman said: ‘It’s one of the best nights of my life.
‘It was a great performance by the team. We did it… We made history tonight.”
Lookman’s sensational three goals in the European final took him to 15 for the season, while his current contract with the Italian side runs until 2026.