From Premier League struggler to European hero

From Premier League struggler to European hero

When Ademola Lookman spurned the chance to equalise by spectacularly failing a panenka-style penalty with the last kick-off the game for Fulham against West Ham in November 2020 few would have predicted he would go on to become the first man to score a hat-trick in a Europa League or Uefa Cup final.

A product of the Charlton youth academy, Lookman was on loan from RB Leipzig at the time and had already had a spell at Everton. Another loan - this time to Leicester City - followed, showing the difficulty the London-born Nigeria international has endured trying to find a home at club level.

But find a home he now certainly has.

Before moving to Italy to sign for Atalanta in 2022, Lookman's best league goal scoring return was six at Leicester.

In his first season in Serie A, he scored 13 and registered eight assists. In his second he has scored nine and assisted six.

The third of his stunning hat-trick in the Europa League final win over previously unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen was his fifth European strike of the season.

Now 26 years old, Lookman has illustrated that struggling in the Premier League does not define a player's career and there are many routes to the top.

Now with an iconic performance in a European final to his name, in his words, it is "just the beginning".