Former Barcelona Star Umtiti Sends Encouragement to Super Eagles' Lookman
Former France international and Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti has delivered a strong message of encouragement to Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman following the Nigerian's explosive performances since joining Atletico Madrid. The 32-year-old Umtiti, who won two La Liga titles during his time at Barcelona, specifically praised Lookman's decision-making and urged him to maintain his current trajectory.
Umtiti's Direct Message to the Nigerian International
According to reports from Punch newspaper, Umtiti emphasized the importance of Lookman continuing to build strong alliances both on and off the pitch, particularly with French international Antoine Griezmann. The former Lyon star highlighted that Lookman consistently makes decisions at the right time, which he described as the best quality a winger can possess.
"I want to urge Ademola Lookman to continue going like this, you have to keep going," Umtiti stated. "You have players like Antoine Griezmann, who is very clever, and Julian Alvarez, who is also very technical. You have no other choice but to keep on going."
Lookman's Immediate Impact at Atletico Madrid
Since completing his move from Atalanta to Atletico Madrid, the 2024 CAF Player of the Year has made an immediate impact. Lookman inspired Atletico to a dominant 5-0 victory over Real Betis in the Copa del Rey quarter-final on February 5, marking his debut with a goal and an assist at the Estadio de la Cartuja in Sevilla.
The Nigerian international continued his impressive form in the Copa del Rey semifinal against Barcelona, scoring in the 33rd minute following an assist from Giuliano Simeone and providing an assist for Julian Alvarez in first-half stoppage time. His performance demonstrated why Atletico Madrid pursued his signature after his successful three-and-a-half seasons in Italy's Serie A.
Background of Lookman's Career Trajectory
Ademola Lookman joined Atletico Madrid after helping Atalanta win the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League title, where he scored a hat-trick in the 3-0 final victory over Bayer Leverkusen. His transition from the Premier League's Everton to Serie A and now to La Liga has been marked by consistent improvement and adaptation to different footballing cultures.
Despite Atletico Madrid's recent 3-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio Olimpico de la Cartuja, where manager Diego Simeone introduced Lookman along with Julian Alvarez, Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand, and Obed Vargas before the 65th minute, the Nigerian winger's individual performances have drawn significant praise from football veterans like Umtiti.
The encouragement from a respected figure like Samuel Umtiti comes at a crucial time for Lookman as he establishes himself in Spanish football and continues to represent Nigeria's Super Eagles on the international stage.
