Atalanta legend Papu Gómez has heaped praise on Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman, drawing attention to the key differences in their playing styles while acknowledging Lookman’s remarkable impact at the club.
Lookman has been a revelation since joining Atalanta just over two years ago, earning the club’s Player of the Season award in back-to-back years. His form reached a new peak in May when he scored a hat-trick in the club’s historic Europa League final victory over Bayer Leverkusen, clinching Atalanta’s first-ever European trophy.
The 26-year-old has now scored 40 goals in 92 appearances for Atalanta, propelling him to 15th place on the club’s all-time scorers list. Though still 19 goals behind Gómez’s impressive record of 59 in 252 matches, Lookman’s trajectory at the club is extraordinary.
Gómez, who made 252 appearances for Atalanta and also contributed 72 assists, highlighted the differences between his style of play and Lookman’s, emphasizing the Nigerian’s insatiable appetite for goals.
““He’s not like me. He’s hungry for goals; I was hungrier for assists,” said the Argentine as per Tutto Atalanta.
“His ability to target the man throughout the game is impressive. He’s grown a lot in team play, you can see that he talks to his teammates and integrates well into Gasperini’s system”
Lookman’s Serie A statistics further underline his growing importance. With 30 goals and 20 assists in just 71 league appearances, he has made a significant impact in Italy’s top flight.
His performances earned him the second-highest ranking among Serie A players in the 2024 Ballon d’Or, and he is now a finalist for the 2024 African Player of the Year award, where he is considered the frontrunner to claim the prestigious honor.
