Powerful acceptance speech for best male player at CAF awards matched specially designed agbada for occasion
Ademola Lookman couldn’t help reminiscing on Monday night. Crowned best male player at the Confederation of African Football’s award ceremony in Marrakech, thanks in large part to his stunning hat-trick for Atalanta in May’s Europa League final, the Nigeria forward’s acceptance speech referred to one of the lowest moments of his career.
It came while Lookman was on a season-long loan at Fulham from RB Leipzig in November 2020 and during injury time of a televised Premier League game against West Ham at the London Stadium. Trailing to a late goal from Tomas Soucek, the visitors were awarded a penalty in the final seconds and Lookman stepped up to take it – only to see his weak Panenka chip loop straight into the arms of Lukasz Fabianski. “I couldn’t even describe the devastation,” Lookman told the Guardian in an interview a few months later.
About Author
More Stories
Generation TikTok: how sportswomen set the bar higher than the men
Valencia make approach to take Carlos Corberán from West Brom as head coach
David Squires on … ‘must-have’ Christmas gifts for football fans