Nigerian duo Ademola Lookman and Umar Sadiq were among Africa’s outstanding performers in Europe’s major leagues last weekend, while Liverpool great Mohamed Salah moved into the top five goal-scorers in Premier League history with a double against Southampton.
Lookman, Africa’s reigning Footballer of the Year, is enjoying the kind of purple patch that may yet ensure he’s a contender for the continent’s top individual prize again this year.
The forward extended his goal-scoring run to six goals in seven matches when he rounded off Atalanta‘s 4-0 masterclass away at Juventus, a one-sided showdown that sent shockwaves through Italian football.
Lookman scored Atalanta’s fourth goal 13 minutes from full-time, as the visitors capitalised on Dusan Vlahovic‘s sloppiness in possession and the Nigeria international raced away before burying the ball beyond Michele Di Gregorio.
It could have been a different story had the officials deemed an intervention by Lookman just before the half-hour mark to have been handball, with the incident immediately preceding Mateo Retegui‘s penalty to open the scoring for Atalanta. VAR decided there had been no infringement by Lookman, but Juve’s Weston McKennie was found guilty of a similar offence and a penalty was awarded in Atalanta’s favour.
In Italy, understandably, the media has focused on Juve’s implosion and the unsteady future of head coach Thiago Motta, but Atalanta — Serie A‘s joint-top scorers — deserve immense credit for delivering a showing that demonstrates why they, and not the Old Lady, are still alive in the title race.
In Lookman, Atalanta also have a superstar who could inspire them to overhaul Internazionale, who are three points ahead of them at the pinnacle of the Italian top flight.
Despite a very public fallout with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, Lookman hasn’t missed a step either side of his high-profile penalty miss against Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League.
Gasperini didn’t hold back in the aftermath of the 3-1 defeat that saw the Italian side tumble out of the Champions League, describing Lookman as “one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen.”
Lookman described the coach’s criticism as “deeply disrespectful.”
“It saddens me to have to write this statement, most of all because of what we have achieved together as a team and as a city,” Lookman posted on social media. “Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurts but feels deeply disrespectful, not least because of the immense hard work and commitment I have always put in each and every day to help bring success to this club and the incredible fans of Bergamo.”
Such a public airing of dirty laundry could have derailed Atalanta’s domestic aspirations, while Lookman could have been forgiven had the feud clouded or undermined his commitment to Gasperini’s project in Bergamo.
Lookman has maintained his high level of performance, netting twice against Empoli in late February before following up with his display against Juve to take him up to third in the Serie A goal-scoring charts. He even embraced Gasperini upon his 80th-minute substitution, suggesting, for now at least, that the two men have buried the hatchet.
The head coach lauded the 27-year-old in the aftermath of La Dea‘s triumph, backing the Nigerian to captain Atalanta in the future, and firmly ending any talk of a dressing-room rift at the club.
“When a group spends 300 days together in a year, people can have different views,” Gasperini said after the match. “Lookman became a fantastic player when he improved his perception of the team. He used to have a more individual approach. He wasn’t a bad guy, but he mostly focused on the individual. He made Atalanta great, and Atalanta made him great. I am convinced he can be the captain before the end of the season.”
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Lookman and Atalanta, with the forward approaching the final year of his contract with the club, and having been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain last year.
Nonetheless, with Atalanta, he’s enjoying another excellent campaign — his goal against Juve means he’s already better his tally for 2023-24 — and, despite the UCL disappointment, could yet end the season with a major honour.
“Let’s keep going like this, together,” Lookman posted on X in the aftermath of Atalanta’s victory, surely with one eye on Sunday’s visit of league leaders Inter.
Sadiq is another Nigerian enjoying life at the moment, a player apparently reborn at Valencia after signing on loan from Real Sociedad at the start of the year.
The striker netted four league goals for Real in 35 matches after arriving there in September 2022, but he’s matched that tally in just seven matches on loan at Valencia; in doing so, the 28-year-old has broken his own mark for goals scored in one of Europe’s big five leagues.
Sadiq scored the winner on Saturday, netting Valencia’s second goal before the hour mark as they defeated Real Valladolid 2-1 at home, after posting a double against Osasuna the weekend before.
The win takes Los Che to 16th in LaLiga on 27 points, one place above the relegation zone, and head coach Carlos Corberan might have a tough selection decision when the club’s first-choice forward, Hugo Duro, returns from injury.
“I have three great forwards because Sadiq is showing it,” Corberan said after the match. “We had the mentality to recover [from our mistakes against Valladolid], and so did he. I think there’s a parallel between what Sadiq did during the game, and what the team did.”
Sadiq was named in Eric Chelle’s extended 39-man Super Eagles squad for the coming international break, and he is surely doing enough to secure his place in the new coach’s plans.
Take a look at the numbers behind Mohamed Salah’s incredible goalscoring record for Liverpool.
Finally to England, where Salah moved into the Premier League’s top five goal-scorers of all time with a double against Southampton, tying Sergio Aguero as the top overseas scorer during the PL era.
The Reds’ procession to the title continued with a 3-1 triumph, although they didn’t have the contest all their own way’ Saints took the lead via Will Smallbone before the hosts cruised to victory in the second half.
Two Salah penalties sealed the win, with the Egyptian great — still no contract in sight — first converting after Smallbone had brought down Darwin Núñez, before a Yukinari Sugawara handball in the box set him up to convert a second and take the contest beyond the visitors.
Salah is now third in Liverpool’s all-time scoring charts — pulling clear of South Africa‘s Gordon Hodgson — while he’s now tied with Aguero on 184 Premier League goals.
“I knew about the record, but I didn’t think about it while I was playing,” Salah said after the match. “It’s a good record to be equalling. Sergio was a great player, he was a legend for the league so I am happy about that and happy about the win.”
The 32-year-old can win his ninth piece of Liverpool silverware when the Reds face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.